How Did It End Up Like This
by yourfriendlyghost
Summary: Jesper ends up moving in with Kristoff and his girlfriend Anna last minute due to the ending results of his past. The two welcome him into their lives and throw a party to commemorate the occasion. Anna invites her sister, Elsa, to the party and he immediately takes an interest in the older blonde woman. From that night on he works to get to know her more. Frozen Modern AU.
1. The First Night

Jesper stood in front of his no longer barren room, finally having hauled the last of his moving boxes up the three flights of stairs to his new apartment. It fell in the perfect middle ground of not being overly spacious to the point where his severe lack of furniture made the room look uninhabited and too cramped to fit a quarter between his bed and the surrounding walls. The male was ripped from his mental checklist of future bedroom necessities, such as a shower curtain which was somehow forgotten during his previous week of packing and repacking, by a hard slap to his right shoulder blade.

"How's it look?"

Turning his head toward the owner of the hand he was met with the beaming grin of his friend, Kristoff. The male was almost twice his size, both in height and weight. Kristoff's Shaggy blonde hair was still damp and stuck to his forehead from having helped Jesper with moving. Jesper was more than grateful for his friend having lent a hand because it would've have taken him the better part of the day to do it alone. The two had met during Jesper's freshman year of college in his physical education class. Kristoff was a junior but had unfortunately waited before getting the mandatory credit checked off so he was stuck in a sea of baby, freshman faces. However, the pair had been thrown together once for a group activity and immediately hit it off. So, when Jesper needed a place to move Kristoff practically demanded he move in with himself and his girlfriend, Anna.

"Empty." He responded with a light chuckle. "Thanks for the help Kristoff, I'd still be climbing stairs if you hadn't been able to help. Are you sure Anna is okay with this? I know it's probably been nice to have the apartment to yourself after having to kick Hans out."

Kristoff gave Jesper a light shove and laughed heartily. "Of course it is. She's met you a few times and you're my friend so I can vouch that you're not some kind of serial killer. Besides rent will be even cheaper now and what college student doesn't love to pay less to live, right? Want a beer?" The blonde asked, though out of curtesy, and tossed the can of Miller Lite through the air just as Jesper was about to answer. The younger male caught the flying beer can mid-air and cracked it open with ease. Just as Kristoff followed suit the lock to the front door clicked and the door opened, Anna stepping into the apartment and looking between the two males as they were mid swig.

"Looks like I'm just in time for the party, huh?" Anna said with a wide grin on her face.

Kristoff pulled the can from his lips and swallowed the liquid down laughing as he finished. "More like late for the party. Could've used you to help move Jesper in then we could've finished and started drinking earlier." Anna hit his broad chest playfully and stuck her tongue out at him as she leaned up on tip toes to meet his lips.

"Well I'm so sorry that some of us have study groups that insist on meeting Saturday mornings. Do you think you can ever forgive me, Jesper?" The girl asked, turning her face toward him, still leaning against Kristoff, her hands on his chest. Meanwhile, Jesper had been chugging the entirety of the Miller Lite can and was taken off guard by Anna's sudden playful banter toward him. Choking slightly but managing to swallow the beer down, he wiped the slight dribble of liquid from his chin and smiled sheepishly.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah yeah, it's no big deal, really. We got it covered and I didn't have much to move." Jesper still felt a little weird having become the third wheel in their happy couple's home and didn't want Anna to regret letting him live in their extra room. Anna definitely picked up on this vibe and pulled from Kristoff and closed the gap between herself and Jesper. She looked him straight in the eyes and took his beer from his hand. Her eyes were stern but still playful and inviting. Anna was only about a head shorter than him but damned if she didn't act like she was taller than she was.

"Oh no. You're not about to act all weird about living here. I wouldn't have let you move in if I thought it was going to be weird. Any one is better than Hans but you're Kristoff's best friend and you're my friend too and that makes it even better. This is your apartment now too so make yourself at home and act as if you live here and not like you're staying with us. Got it?" Jesper was a little stunned at how direct to the point Anna was. She had always been open with what she was thinking and feeling the times he'd met her but he was never on the receiving end of it.

"Right." Jesper answered. It must've been obvious how at a loss for words he was because it immediately caused Kristoff to laugh loudly and Anna to giggle playfully. She handed his beer back to him and pat his chest.

"Then it's settled. Welcome home Jesper." Anna smiled warmly, turning on the balls of her feet, auburn braids swinging behind her, and joining Kristoff by the fridge to begin partaking in the drinking festivities.

* * *

Anna opened the fridge to grab yet another beer, already three deep since they started drinking a few hours ago, only to find the cardboard case empty. "Kristoff!" She shouted causing the blonde to jump and look over the back of the couch toward his other half. "We're out of beer." She watched him furrow his brow as he mentally counted just how much they'd drank. Anna growled and pulled the empty beer case out of the fridge, lobbing it across the room at the blonde. Kristoff swatted it away and joined in on her laughter.

"Okay. Okay. I'll go walk and grab some more from the gas station up the street. Maybe if Anna didn't drink like a fish-" Kristoff began and nudged the chuckling Jesper in the ribs.

Her eyes widened in faux surprise at her boyfriend's accusations. "Excuse me, Mr. 'Finishes-a-whole-twelve-pack-in-one-sitting' if I want to have a few beers after a long morning of studying. And you," She pointed her finger at Jesper who's laughter had increased as Anna argued in her defense. "Don't think you're off the hook either. I see you making a beer pyramid over there." She flicked her finger to motion behind him. "How many more do you need to complete it, huh? One?" That caused him to stop laughing, though the grin stay plaster on his face. "Exactly. So, if we're done pointing fingers there is a serious lack of alcohol in the apartment and Kristoff is the only one who can legally buy it." The red head crossed her arms over her chest to signal the ending of the discussion. Kristoff groaned loudly as he rose from the dark, leather couch and threw his hands in the air.

"Okay, okay. You've made your point. But when the two of you turn 21 I'm not moving from that couch to get anything." Kristoff spoke loudly, emphasizing his claims by pointing to his now empty seat. As he walked by Anna he leaned in to kiss her good-bye.

"Whatever you say, baby." She retorted and met her lips with his quickly. "Be safe. See you soon. Love, you." And with that the door closed and Kristoff was off on his quest. Jesper had returned his attention to the television and Anna took Kristoff's spot beside him on the couch. Anna and Jesper were the same age, 19, and both sophomores but not in the same major so they'd never met before Kristoff's introduction. Jesper had enjoyed each meeting that the two had, though. Anna was always the life of the part, making sure everyone was having fun and just generally bringing life and laughter to any situation. He'd always admired her constant optimism and energy. Though it dawned on him as they sat there, only the sounds of the TV filling the air, that the two had never interacted alone before. Kristoff and Anna were always a pair for the most part in any social gathering. Granted Jesper did hang out with Kristoff autonomously but never Anna without Kristoff. Suddenly the silence between them became more apparent to the male. Thankfully trusty Anna was always filled with conversations and broke it before long. "So, Jesper, why did you need a roommate so quickly? I asked Kristoff and he said he didn't know. Of course, when I asked why he said he hadn't asked you why, which honestly, in my opinion, is ridiculous. I get you both are friends but wasn't he curious? I'd be curious if one of my friends suddenly needed a roommate. I'd want to know if they were okay, ya know? Are you okay? Is everything okay?" Her initial curiosity quickly turned into concern as her word vomit caused her mind to wander causing Jesper to smile slightly in appreciation.

"I'm fine; nothing really happened. I just-" Jesper began but instinctively bit his lip. His eyes met Anna's who was hanging on every word. Something about how easily her eyes revealed to him her genuine concern for his well-being and how Anna, in her everyday life, was unfiltered about her emotions and thoughts, made Jesper want to open himself to her despite their limited interaction. "I've been in foster housing for most of my life." Anna's hand rose to her mouth to cover her sudden drop in lower jaw. "It's no big deal, promise. Once you've been in the system your whole life it eventually becomes normal. But because I turned 19 in the fall I was phased out of the system and my foster home was no longer obligated to keep me; so, they didn't. I'm grateful to you and Kristoff for allowing me to move in last minute." Anna didn't have words to respond. How could she? What does someone say to such a heavy topic? Another moment of silence floated between them before Anna dropped her hand from her mouth and held his hands in hers.

"That's really awful of them." Jesper went to respond but she cut him off. "I know you've probably heard that from anyone you've told so I won't continue with the pity party but I am thankful you felt like you could tell me. I can only imagine what that would be like. I know you were Kristoff's friend first but I also know that when it comes to talking about personal stuff a lot of guys, especially Kristoff, can be apprehensive to people opening up to them. Not that Kristoff isn't a great guy and wouldn't do anything for anyone, you know that, he's just a little foreign to emotions that aren't surface level. What I'm trying to say is that if you need someone to talk to you can talk to me. I'm like years too late because we're practically grownups now but even the toughest people need to talk sometimes. I talk to Kristoff about most everything and if I can't talk to him I talk to my older sister Elsa, she's great. I've started rambling now though. Bottom line is, I'm here for you Jesper." All Jesper could do was blink a few times. The silence was killing Anna but she tried her best to hide that, wanting to give him time to process properly.

"I don't think you've said that many words to me in one sitting before." He finally said. The red head's face dropped as she began to find herself mortified, the increasing redness in her cheeks not helping. It made the male chuckled and shake his head softly, squeezing her hands that still cupped his own. "I appreciate that, Anna. It's not something I'm ashamed of but it also isn't something I find myself telling many people." As he expounded on his initial response her mood swung back to normal and she smiled brightly.

"Consider your secret safe with me then."

"Thank you, Anna." At that Anna let out a content sigh and nod before sliding her hands from his.

"And now I will no longer pry into your personal life for the remainder of the night."

It was another fifteen minutes before Kristoff finally returned with more alcohol. By then the two had changed the channel from the previous reality TV series that had come on to cartoons. "Hey, children, I'm back with the shit and I've brought company." Kristoff boomed causing the two to look back at him and the two male guests accompanying him. It was Anna's cousin's, Rapunzel, boyfriend, Eugene, who had become friend with Kristoff through their continuous encounters through Anna and Rapunzel, and Kristoff's other friend Eric.

"Eugene!" Anna squealed happily as she ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was practically family at this point having dated her cousin for almost five years now.

"Hey, Anna." Eugene responded warmly and then motioned to Eric. "You remember my sailing buddy Eric?" At this Anna nodded and hugged him quickly as well.

"Nice to see you again, Eric." The red head then copied Eugene's motion and directed the two older male's attention to Jesper, who still sat on the couch.

"Guys, this is Jesper. I think you've met him before, Eugene. He just moved in with us in Hans' old room."

"Yeah, I remember. Hey, Jesper." Eugene waved to the male as he was ushered into the apartment more by Anna. "So you finally kicked that creep, Hans, to the curve? Good. That ex-frat, douche deserved it."

"Ex-frat?" Eric inquired.

"Yeah. He joined a fraternity his freshman year but not only did his grades suck to hell he was preying on drunk girls at their house parties. He even tried to force himself on An-"

"Eugene, please!" Anna shoved the palm of her hand against his chest abruptly, cutting him off. Eugene coughed a few times and ran his fingers through his hair before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry. Any way he got the dean called on him and expelled from school. I guess Kristoff finally wised up and kicked his ass out." Kristoff was pulling out beers from the fresh box as Eugene pulled him into the conversation. He pulled out from the fridge and chuckled, cradling the beers against his chest.

"Well, yeah. Had I'd known the whole story from the start I would've beat his ass to a pulp as soon as I found out about, well, you know." Kristoff began distributing beers to everyone, making his way to his self-designated spot on the couch beside Jesper handing him one as well. Jesper was thankful for the cold liquid and began to chug it as soon as the fizz settled after popping it open. Eric took notice of the younger male chugging his beer and laughed.

"Wow we have a professional over here. No messing around with this guy." The statement made everyone laugh and caused Jesper to feel a sense of obligation to finish the beer in one shot. He gasped for air as the last drop was drank and stacked the can atop his now finished pyramid of beers. Eugene cheered, taking the spot on the empty recliner, leaving Eric to sit on the floor. Anna sat in Kristoff's lap with phone to her ear, ringing noise loudly echoing from the speaker.

"What're you doing?" The blonde asked her.

"Calling some friends over. I'm A) Not going to be the only girl at this party and B) Not going to let this momentous occasion be celebrated improperly. Besides when has Eugene ever needed an excuse to relive his college years." Everyone sans Jesper and Eugene laughed at this.

"Hey! I only graduated last year." This caused the laughter to grow.


	2. Small Talk

It wasn't long after Anna finished making her phone calls before the party of five became a party of close to fifteen. The television was replaced with loud, party music thumping throughout the two-bedroom apartment and out onto the open balcony. The people piled in one after one bringing more and more alcohol with them. Jesper was pulled around by Anna for a good part of the beginning of the night as more people joined so that she could properly introduce him. As the night progressed and the more Jesper drank the harder it got to remember each person's name. He vividly remembers Anna's cousin, Rapunzel. She was a year older than Anna and himself and an art major at the university. She loved reptiles and cooking when she wasn't painting. Rapunzel and Eugene met when he was running from a group dudes who had caught him stealing beer from their house party and took refuge in the shed of her backyard. Jesper only remembered all of that because Rapunzel was the first to arrive after Anna's string of phone calls and the red head was adamant about the two of them getting to know each other better. Next to arrive was Anna's friend Belle and her boyfriend Adam. Adam was brooding and didn't talk much but Belle talked Jesper's ear off for a good fifteen minutes about a new method she was testing in her engineering course to make the consumption of water on campus more efficient. Merida stormed through the front door shortly after the couple, fiery red curls flowing freely behind her, but was in no mood for small talk and barely even acknowledged the male in tow behind Anna. A very beautiful blonde named Aurora came with her boyfriend Phillip next. Both were quiet but polite. After them was another red head, though a similar shade to Merida's hair rather than Anna's, named Ariel whose boyfriend was Eric.

"Alright who came next?" Anna giggled and covered her mouth, the alcohol beginning to affect her now. The two had started playing this game where Anna asked Jesper the names of the guests in order of arrival and something about them once he'd met everyone. Jesper was worse off than his friend but still able to communicate, it was remembering and keeping composure that escaped him.

"Uhhh…" He began and it caused Anna to giggle more which in turn made him laugh. "No no, stop. Let me think, Anna." She covered her mouth more trying to stifle herself. "Mulan was next. She dated uhm.. Aurora." Anna clapped her hands together in approval. "She also does kendo."

"Ding ding ding!" The two clanked cans in celebration before taking equally large gulps. "Okay, who was next."

"Anna!" Jesper protested, it having become increasingly more difficult for him to recall the order of arrival of their guests. He was then saved by a very drunk Kristoff who picked his girlfriend up around the waist from behind, kissing her neck roughly, and causing her to shriek.

Anna laughed uncontrollably. "Kristoff!" The blonde put her down and she spun around kissing him sloppily.

"Howzzit goin' o'er here? You two havin' fun?" Kristoff slurred out. The two didn't have time to answer before Kristoff was beckoned for back out on the balcony to bong yet another beer. "Aight!" He shouted back over his shoulder. "Com'on Jesp. Come beer bong with me." It was more of a command that a request because Jesper found himself once again being dragged in tow but by Kristoff instead of Anna this time. Outside it was much cooler. Jesper hadn't realized how stuffy and hot it had gotten as more and more guests arrived. The cool air and break from the pounding music brought a relief the male hadn't known he'd needed. It also made him more aware of how exactly drunk he'd gotten. A sudden slap of a heavy hand to his back brought him away from his self-awareness and back to the party, just in time to see Kristoff take a knee and Eric hold the funnel high above his own head. The blonde finished the foamy liquid with ease, every one cheering him on. A loud and deep belch escaped his mouth causing a range of reactions from disgusted to impressed. Kristoff motioned his younger accomplice to follow suit, holding the clear tube toward him. Sighing slightly Jesper gave in and took the wet tube from him, dipping down to one knee. Eric smirked deviously as his eyes followed Jesper down before holding his hand out for a beer. Eugene cracked one open and handed it to Eric who then dumped it into the funnel. The pale brown liquid rushed down the tube and caught Jesper off guard at first as it hit the back of his throat. He managed to keep it together and relax allowing the alcohol past his gag reflex. Seeing that Jesper was already almost finished with the first beer in a matter of two gulps Eric grabbed another from Eugene and cracked it open himself with his free hand, pouring it into the now empty funnel mouth. However, Eric's plan to trip the younger male up and cause whatever mayhem he had planned didn't faze the kneeling sophomore. Jesper kept going and finished the second beer in a matter of seconds.

Finally emptying the tube Jesper stood, stumbling a little upon doing it so quickly, and belched much like Kristoff. Before Jesper could remark about completing the bong he was met with not only Kristoff and Eugene roughing him up proudly but several of the other older party goers. Jesper was laughing and trying to shield himself as several people ruffled his short brunette hair and tried to hit his now full stomach. "Holy shit, dude!" Kristoff exclaimed.

"What?" The younger male asked through laughter still confused as to what he had done.

"What do you mean 'What'? You just bonged two beers without even puking. You've got some stomach for being so small." Eugene explained. "Eric tried to fuck with you." He went to smack Eric in his crotch but the other was quick to turn his hips last minute and shield himself. This caused a collective laugh from the group.

"Guess he di'n't realize he had a champ ov'r here." Kristoff slurred, having Jesper by the scruff of his neck, shaking him affectionately from side to side. The group outside had settled down and returned to their separate conversations leaving Jesper and Kristoff to their own devices. The younger male freed himself from the grips of his elder, grin still plastered on his face. It was then Anna and another walked up to them. The two males turn simultaneously when Anna's hand came into view and placed itself on Kristoff's shoulder. "Babe!" Kristoff shouted happily upon realizing who was affectionately gripping ahold of him. His gaze moved to the second and his face lit up even more. Jesper, however, was already fixated on the stranger standing adjacent to him. Her platinum blonde hair was braided messily and slung over her left shoulder, loose strands framing the sides of her face. She wore a plain, pale blue V-neck t-shirt, it not quiet reaching the waist band of her dark blue jeans leaving her midsection exposed slightly. Her lips were upturned into a small, polite smile as she stood beside Anna. "Elsa!" Kristoff exclaimed almost louder than when he greeted his own girlfriend. He brought Elsa into a tight embrace not giving her much of a choice to decline the affection. Once she was on solid ground again Elsa chuckled softly and pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear.

"Nice to see you again too, Kristoff." The woman said coolly. "Though, it's only been a few days."

"He's drunk, Elsa. You know how he gets." Anna said, the two girls laughing in unison. Without a missed beat Anna moved closer to Jesper and intertwined their arms together to make it easier for her to pull him closer to her elder sister. "This is why I brought you over, though. This is our new roommate, Jesper. I told you about him." Jesper's green eyes met with Elsa's own icy blue ones and he felt his insides churn.

"He was the one at the receiving end of the beer bong, yes?" Elsa said with a knowing smirk to both Anna and Jesper. Her words were like a fluid taffy as they left her lips; so effortless. The elder girl was poised and evenly toned but not in a way that made Jesper feel like she talked down to him. She had a voice that he could listen to for hours and never grow tired of it.

"Fuck yeah he was!" Kristoff spoke proudly, breaking Jesper of his entrancement with another slap to the back. Kristoff's drunken bellowing caused Elsa to cover her mouth as she laughed, the other wrapping around her stomach.

"Does he not speak, Anna?" Elsa teased, removing her hand letting it fall to her side as she shifted her weight to her left leg in perfect chiaroscuro fashion.

"He does!" Anna quickly realized the irony of her outburst and placed her face in the palm of her hand. "I mean, whatever. Jesper, this is my older sister, Elsa." Jesper met Elsa's gaze once again and opened his mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come right away. The three stared at him in anticipation.

"I-" Jesper felt his stomach do a flip, "I-" He repeated once more, everyone unintentionally leaning in. Suddenly he realized his stomach was no longer in knots because of Elsa but because of the large amount of alcohol sitting in the pit of his stomach. It suddenly not wanting to be settled any longer. "I'll be right back." He held up one finger to the trio and nodded before sprinting inside and to his bathroom, dodging drunken party goers along the way.

* * *

Spitting the last of the vomit taste from his mouth into the bottom of his toilet Jesper flushed once again and rolledhimself over to sit against the bathtub. His stomach was empty and feeling much better. _What a great first impression, ass hole._ Jesper pulled one knee to his chest and held his head in hand, elbow resting on said knee. "Fuck..." Jesper cursed softly. An annoyed look washed over his face as a sudden knock at the door startled him. He thought maybe it was Eric trying to come back and relieve himself once again. "Dude, I'm still in here. Go check and see if Kristoff's bath-" Upon opening the door his annoyance turned to surprise when the anonymous knocker turned out not to be Eric but Elsa. She let out a chuckle and smiled at the obvious change in his demeanor.

"Eric bothering you?"

"Uh, no — well, no. He just had to go and I was still, well, yeah." Elsa nodded in understanding still smiling gently at him.

"Going to Kristoff's bathroom wouldn't have been any better, though. As soon as you ran off Kristoff did as well. Anna is in there with him and asked if I'd check on you. He looks a lot worse off than you, though." He felt heat rise to the surface of his cheeks. "Feeling better?"

Jesper laughed nervously and rubbed the side of his neck. "Yeah, thanks. I guess I had too much liquid in my stomach. I don't feel sickly drunk just full, ya know?"

"I thought that might be the case. There's not many guys who can take two beers in a row and not get sick." She held out fresh beer to him.

"Uh, thank you." Jesper took the drink from her and watched as she took a sip from her own red solo cup. "Not a beer drinker?" Elsa's face scrunched up in disgust as she shook her head.

"Not even a little. I'm not sure how Anna does it. I can never get past the first sip." Elsa held her cup up. "So I stick with liquor." Jesper let out a chuckle and cracked open his beer, taking a sip. The room became quiet minus the muffled sounds of music still blaring in the background. They both took another awkward sip trying to decide whether to keep talking or join the party.

"What're-" "So-"

They started at the same time.

"Go ahead. You didn't get a word in earlier with Kristoff and Anna speaking for you. Anna does that sometimes when she's overly excited about something." Jesper waved his hand in dismissal as he took another sip of beer.

"It was really okay. They're just having a good time. Who am I to deny them a good time, right?" Elsa pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded in agreement. "But what I was gunna ask was what you do at school. Like, what are you going to school for?" Jesper watched as a singular platinum brow cocked upward and curious smirk appeared. As if she wasn't expecting an actual question to come out of his mouth.

"I'm getting my Masters of Architecture." Jesper couldn't even hide his jaw hitting the floor if he tried. This made Elsa laugh out loud and instinctively cover her mouth. "What? Surprised?"

"No! Well, yes, but not because you don't seem like the kind of person who couldn't get her Masters in architecture. I've just never met anyone who's doing something so… cool." His description of her major being 'cool' made the girl laugh even more.

"It is very 'cool'." Elsa sipped her drink. She leaned back, half sitting on the sink counter now, and crossed one slender, long leg over the other. "I enjoy it. Or I guess I better since I'm taking more school for it. And what about you?" She asked looking over her cup and raising both brows inquisitively.

 _Fuck, this girl is cute._ "I'm getting my Bachelors of Communicative Arts, specifically film studies and film making. I want to direct movies." Elsa's index finger pointed at him, still holding her cup.

"Now that's cool. I've never had the eye for things like that. Anna and 'Punzel are the artistic ones of the family."

"Well creating buildings takes an artistic field of vision, right? You're building several story structures out of basically nothing." Jesper threw his arms in the air as he disputed her claims causing her to laugh and shrug.

"I suppose, you might be right. It's definitely different though." Just as Jesper went to respond Eric stumbled past Elsa and Jesper and straight to the toilet. As soon as Elsa heard his zipper dropped her eyes widened and she abruptly turned and left the bathroom, Jesper not far behind her. The party was still going strong when they emerged from the bedroom into the living area. Anna stood with Ariel not far from them chatting and laughing. When she saw the pair, though, she quickly said her goodbyes to Ariel and hugged her before skipping to them. Jesper watched as Ariel disappeared into his bedroom to hopefully check on her boyfriend and not crissum his own bedroom before himself.

"Kristoff is passed out on the bed so that means I get to finish what's left of our case." Anna clenched her fist thrusted her elbow down in excitement.

"Just please don't end up in the same boat as him, Anna." Her sister pressed with concern.

"Elsa, you know I'm only joking. I couldn't drink that much even if I tried. I've also only been that sick once and I regretted it the morning after." Anna laughed brushing the memory off.

"I know I just worry."

Anna smiled gently and hugged her sister causing the worrisome look across Elsa's pale face to melt into a loving one. "I know you do, Elsa. But I'm safe. I have you here and now I have Jesper. How are you feeling by the way?" It took Jesper a moment to respond, he had gotten himself caught up on the vagueness of their conversation. Were they talking about Hans again? Jesper simply raised the beer can though and gave her a thumb up with the other hand, grinning. "Excellent." She said.

* * *

The party went on for another hour or so before it finally began to die down. All but two of the guests said their goodbyes and left for their own places of residence. Rapunzel and Eugene were fast asleep, entangled in one another, on the leather couch. At some point Kristoff had stumbled his way out of the bedroom and crashed sideways onto the recliner with out anyone noticing until it had happened. Anna tried shaking him awake to get him to return to bed with her but had no luck. She let out an exasperated sigh finally giving up. "He'll regret this in the morning when he complains about his neck all day." The red head turned to see Elsa and Jesper picking up the last of the trash from the party. "Guess you'll stay in my room Elsa." The blonde stood straight and looked to her younger sister.

"Oh, no, Anna. I'm fine I'll head to my apartment."

"But you've been drinking."

"I had two drinks. I'm hardly drunk."

"But you _are_ tipsy. Just stay with me. I hate sleeping alone." Elsa groaned in defeat it making her sister clap rapidly with joy. "It's settled. I'll make breakfast in the morning for everyone."

"Yeah, right." Elsa scoffed. "You can barely get up before noon on a sober day." Anna shushed her sister and waved off the accusation.

"It's still breakfast if it's breakfast food." This made the remaining trio laugh. Anna helped the two throw the last of the trash away and then it was time for bed. Night, Jesper. See you in the morning." Anna said before disappearing into her room.

"Goodnight, Jesper." Elsa also said giving her fingers a slow wiggle in goodbye. The door closed behind her.

"Goodnight." He responded and walked to his own bedroom. Closing the door and hanging his head in exhaustion, Jesper let out a loud sigh. When he looked up he found that he'd forgotten to make his own bed. "Well, shit." Rather than rummage through the boxes Jesper conceded to passing out on the bare bed and worrying about tomorrow morning.


	3. 6 AM

A low alarm began to invade Jesper's dreams; it growing louder and louder with every ring. Eventually he abandoned his slumber and emerged into the real world, alarm wailing at full blast. Groaning lowly Jesper grabbed his phone, the screen blindingly blinking '6:00 AM'. Jesper lifted the phone a bit higher sighing when he realized he had forgotten to charge the device before falling face first onto the double bed last night. Pressing the 'End' button with his thumb and letting the phone fall onto the mattress Jesper took another moment before pushing himself up and off the bed. Hangover or not Jesper was dedicated to his running routine. The brunette lumbered over to a pile of boxes and unstacked the top one to get to the clothing folded in the second. Having dug almost to the bottom of the box, of course, he pulled out pair of red running shorts and white dri-fit t-shirt. Thankfully his pair of running shoes were permanently kept tied to his backpack's straps by the laces until needed. After retrieving his GPS watch and slipping his shoes on Jesper quietly snuck out of the apartment, the sun just beginning to peak out.

His run was uneventful as it usually was the morning after heavy partying. The only people out this early were other fitness enthusiasts, older folks walking their dogs and the occasional drunken college student stumbling their way home. Jesper practically had the world to himself. As his watch beeped at the 10-mile mark Jesper saw the apartment coming into view. He was thankful for that; twice the boy had to stop at a water fountain along his route to rehydrate himself. Approaching the foot of the stairs to his apartment door Jesper put his hands on his hips to catch his breath before making the ascent. One step after the other Jesper climbed, it feeling like 1000 steps rather than 45. The male took his shirt off around the second floor and began to wipe the sweat from his body and face. As he approached his own floor and doorway the faint smell of coffee filled his nose. Wiping his face and opening the door the smell wafted out of the apartment and into the breezeway. _Who's up this early making coffee?_ A small yelp of surprise cut through the quite apartment. The unexpected noise made him recoil and yank his shirt from his face to find the source quickly. Sitting at the dining room table was Elsa, still wearing the shirt from the previous night but now adorning short pajama shorts exposing almost every inch of her crossed legs to the world. Her hair was still tied in the same braid only more disheveled from her slumber.

"Jesper, you startled me!"

"E-Elsa. What're you doing up so early?"

"I'm always up this early. I have trouble sleeping in late unlike everyone else." She motioned her upturned hand to behind them where the group still slept and snored. "What were you doing?" She gave him a glance over and let her eyes drink in the sight of him being shirtless, it brushing a pale pink over her features. "Did you go for a run?"

"Yeah, I go almost every day. Sometimes I go to the gym and cross train to give my legs a break but today I ran. Can I have some of this coffee?" He asked walking over to the pot. When she nodded with permission, he grabbed a mug from the cupboard above it and poured the black liquid to the mug's brim. Elsa noticed him add only a little bit of sugar in his coffee before stirring it all together and drinking it.

"You like your coffee black?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess I do. I put a little bit of sugar in most coffee to cut the bitterness, though." She scrunched her nose up and giggled.

"Beer and black coffee. You have a strong pallet." Elsa teased him and drank from her own mug. "I need at least cream and sugar in mine to tolerate the taste. I can't stand energy drinks though so I have to get my caffeine from somewhere." She took another slow sip. "How long have you been running?"

"Since I could walk I guess. It, uhm, was a way to get out of the house for a while with no questions asked, ya know." Jesper laughed half-heartily and shrugged. Elsa simply nodded not wanting to push the subject more it clearly being something that made him uncomfortable.

"We should run sometime. You probably run much faster and farther than me but I do run as well a few times a week. It's a good way to relieve stress. Maybe on one of your shorter distance days? Since it'll probably be my average day mileage. Anna and Kristoff don't run, obviously, and my friend Moana is more into swimming than running so getting her to go is like pulling teeth." The two of them chuckled at the comparison.

"Yeah sure. I usually don't have anyone to run with either so it'll be a nice change." Their eyes then shot to the leather couch as a loud hungover groan escaped the waking Rapunzel's mouth.

"Get off me Eugene." She complained and untangled herself from him, Eugene too deep in a drunken sleep to care. Rapunzel stretched and let out a loud yawn which formed into a squeal of some kind as both came to a satisfying finish. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she made her way to the kitchen, feet dragging.

"Elsie, did you make coffee? I smell coffee." She was apparently unaware of Jesper presence in the kitchen because she was walking right at him with no signs of slowing down. Elsa began to giggle, suppressing it the best she could behind her hand, wanting to let her cousin find out for herself.

"Yes, 'Punzel. How do you feel?"

"Not awful. Give me some caffeine and I'll be ready to start the-" As her fists dropped from her eyes she found herself standing almost nose to nose before a shirtless Jesper. The brunette female gasped loudly, her eyes wider than dinner plates and her face could have been mistaken for Merida's firey red locks. Unbeknownst to Rapunzel, Elsa was fighting even harder now not to burst into tears of laughter. The pair stood there, Rapunzel with mouth agape and Jesper unsure of what to do at this point. "Oh my fuck!" Rapunzel swore, covering her still beet red face with her hands. "Elsa, you absolute JERK! You did that on purpose." The kitchen filled with the sound of Elsa's finally escaped laughter. The elder cousin wiped tears away trying to calm herself before speaking but it was a seemingly impossible task. Gasping for a few more breaths of air Elsa did manage to compose herself enough to respond, however.

"I'm sorry, 'Punzel. It was just too perfect an opportunity." Rapunzel's hands dropped from her flushed face to glare at Elsa.

"You've been hanging around Anna too much lately. You're never the devious. To tease _me_ of all people! And when I'm in a weakened state no less!" She threw her hands up in distress.

"Oh don't be upset because you're flustered that Jesper looks good without his shirt on." Elsa teased. Jesper's heart beat in his ears as Elsa's words about him left her lips. _She thinks I look good?_ It seemed that Rapunzel also caught Elsa's little Freudian slip because her body language changed drastically. The corners of her lips curled up in a sneaky smile, the natural color of her face returning.

"What was that I heard, cousin Elsa? Did I hear that correctly, Jesper?" Rapunzel looked at him, knowing he had heard it too. Even if she hadn't known before looking at him, his wide eyes and flushed face could give it away that he had. Rapunzel looked back to the confused Elsa before continuing. "Did you say that Jesper looked good without his shirt on? Does my older cousin find a boy attractive?" Elsa face dropped and the color left her face in panic before being replaced with the equally bright color red Rapunzel once wore as she realized exactly what she said. The reaction gave Rapunzel a sweet satisfaction. "Well, cousin?"

"Well…" Elsa managed out, her throat feeling tight. Her head was spinning trying to find a response.

"'Well…'." Rapunzel mimicked and giggled. "Well what, Elsa?" However, Elsa being ever level headed in tight situations pulled a response from the endless string of words flying through her brain. The two watched as Elsa inhaled slowly through her nose and out of her mouth, parting her lips only slightly. The previously crimson face had returned to its natural milky white and suddenly the young woman was calm. Rapunzel had become increasingly disturbed by how quickly Elsa could collect herself.

"Well of course he does. He doesn't run every day and not like to be complimented on his hard work." Her icy blue eyes looked directly at him—into him. "You look good, Jesper." Elsa then took a sip of her coffee and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the liquid warming her insides. Jesper and Rapunzel could do nothing but stare dumbfounded.

"I can't believe it." Rapunzel said in disbelief to herself. "I dunno how she does that. She's like devoid of any kind of emotion or something. Like some kind of robot who starts to emote but then their system powers down." The brunette shook her head, giving up trying to dissect her cousin. Walking past Jesper Rapunzel poured her own cup of coffee and then joined Elsa at the dining room table. Jesper watched the two begin to converse as if nothing had happened, leaving him the only one still feeling lost.

 _What the fuck just happened?_ "I'm… going to go stretch and shower, now." The male said as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder toward his bedroom door. His mug in hand Jesper turned and disappeared behind closed door, hearing the two girls giggle just before doing so.

* * *

About an hour and a half had passed since Jesper sought solitude in his room. Whilst stretching out his limbs he heard Eugene and Kristoff awaken. The four talked for some time, though all Jesper could hear was muffled noises through his door, before Elsa and Rapunzel went to wake Anna. It took a while from what the male could tell but they must've eventually been successful because her cheery voice joined in on their conversation out in the kitchen. When he emerged from his shower, sans curtain still, the smell of eggs and bacon crept through the seams of his door. His stomach growling loudly was incentive enough for him to dig through the box of clothing and grab the first pair of jeans and old track & field t-shirt he found. Making sure he remembered to bring the old empty coffee mug with him Jesper opened his bedroom door and joined everyone in the kitchen.

"Well look who finally decided to join us?" Eugene said while leaning over the kitchen counter, munching on a freshly cooked strip of bacon. Elsa, Kristoff and Rapunzel were all around the dining room table. Jesper merely chuckled and walked to the pot of what looked like freshly brewed coffee and poured himself another cup.

"Good morning, Jesper." Anna said smiling widely toward him, as she scrambled the batch of eggs in a large pan. "Sleep well?"

"As good as you can with no sheets on your bed and your phone left uncharged, I guess." He laughed at himself, Anna joining in.

"Seems like you had about as rough of a night as everyone else, then."

"Couldn't have been that rough. Elsa says you went for a run at the ass crack of dawn." Eugene interjected.

"You did?" Anna asked excitedly. Jesper heard Rapunzel and Elsa giggle in the background. "Wow that is some kind of dedication. I can barely wake up on time for classes and you're going around running circles around us after a night of partying. Don't you run too, Elsa?" All eyes in the room shifted to the blonde.

"I do." Elsa answered candidly, taking a sip from her mug. "Jesper and I were actually going to go for a run sometime soon, _together_." She emphasized the last part of her sentence, purposefully looking at her cousin over the rim of the mug with a glint in her eye. It drove Rapunzel insane but she tried to hide it the best she could. Thankfully no one else noticed the banter between them.

"That's great! That'll be fun." Anna exclaimed simultaneously finishing the eggs and plating them. "Breakfast is served ladies and gentleman!"

"Yeah if Eugene didn't eat all of the bacon." Kristoff harassed. Eugene rolled his eyes and grabbed a plate from the stack Anna set out. In addition to eggs and bacon Anna had set out a bowl of mixed grapes and bananas and another plate of toast. Rapunzel stood and fell in line behind Eugene; Kristoff lining up behind her with a plate for Anna. Anna beamed as she watched everyone fill their plates until her eyes fell on Jesper and faded. The male was stood back from everyone sipping his coffee idly, waiting for them to finish making their plates.

"Jesper get in line. Go on." Anna reached out for his arm but missed as he flinched back. Elsa had joined the back of the food buffet line just in time to see it happen and was fixated now on what was happening behind everyone else's blissful ignorance. Anna chewed her lip gently, her eyes silently begging for an explanation.

"I will." Jesper began, his voice shaky and low so that only the two of them could hear. "I will. I promise I will, Anna" He gave a reassuring smile to the red head. "Just after everyone, ok?" Anna withdrew her hand to her chest and nodded subtly in understanding before taking her place next to Kristoff at the dining table. Once Elsa was seated Jesper grabbed the last plate from the stack. He scooped eggs, fruit and toast onto it, opting out on the bacon. Rotating his body half circle Jesper faced the rest of the group, leaning back against the counter to eat. Everyone went silent as they filled their empty stomachs.

Rapunzel absentmindedly looked from Elsa to Jesper and then Anna and Kristoff and finally Eugene, who's lap she sat in due to Kristoff and Anna's lack of chairs. The brunette's then eyes twinkled as a dubious idea popped into her head. "Hey Jesper you don't have to stand you know." Rapunzel's voice breaking the silence caused everyone to look up from their plates and either at Jesper or Rapunzel. "Anna could always sit in Kristoff's lap since they only have four chairs." Something in Rapunzel's words had Elsa inwardly on edge. The blonde knew her cousin was up to something where as everyone else was confused as to why she was even suggesting it. "Or, ya know, Elsa can sit on your lap." Everyone choked simultaneously on their food. Elsa slammed her fork down and stood, looking down at her cousin.

"That's enough Rapunzel!" Elsa harshly spat, her voice carrying through the whole apartment. The reaction took Rapunzel aback. She hadn't expected that kind of response from Elsa. Anna stood as well, filled equal parts concern and confusion for her sister and cousin.

"Elsa…" Anna began softly. The sound of her name coming from her younger sister's lips was calming and ceased the building rage in her chest. Pinching the bridge of her nose, the blonde let out an exasperated sigh. Elsa combed her slender fingers through the loose strands of hair and down her braid, bringing her composure back to the surface.

"I'm fine, Anna, thank you." Elsa's attention returned to Rapunzel. "I'm sorry, Rapunzel."

"No, I'm sorry, Elsa. I took the joke too far. I wasn't trying to upset you."

"I know you weren't. I forgive you." Elsa inhaled and exhaled deeply. "I am however going to take this opportunity to head to my own apartment and study. Thank you breakfast and for letting me stay over, Anna, Kristoff," Her eyes lingered on Jesper. "Jesper." Anna moved into Jesper's line of sight of Elsa to give her sister a tight hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Ok, Elsa, sounds good. I'll see you Wednesday for dinner?" Elsa nodded to the younger girl before gathering her things from Anna and Kristoff's room and departing. Rapunzel and Eugene stuck around long enough to help finish the left overs and clean up but were gone shortly after. Letting out a loud sigh of relief, Kristoff collapsed onto his usual spot on the couch and turned the TV on. Anna and Jesper were left alone in the kitchen. "You ok?" She asked him. Jesper perked his head up having lost himself in his coffee mug.

"Hm? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. I think I might go lie down, though."

"I'll say you should. I'd be tired too if I partied all night, went and ran a marathon, and then came back to two cousins dragging me into their teasing match."

"It really is okay. It was all in good fun, I think. Everyone apologized, though, so that's all that matters."

"Well, rest up then. We'll see you whenever you wake up, ok?" Anna smiled comfortingly and left him to return to his disheveled bedroom. The first thing he noticed was the lack of sheets on his bed. _Fuck._


	4. Invite Him

Elsa sat alone outside at a round stone table, grading her teacher's assignments and eating a salad simultaneously. Blue pen scribbled over words of text and hand drawn diagrams from the papers written in the ARC 241 class. This had been one of her favorite courses in her undergraduate year so it was a little disheartening to see so many of the students not caring, especially because it was a required course for their major. So focused in her grading Elsa hadn't noticed the dark haired woman approach her table. "Hello, Elsa." The voice spoke. The blonde looked up from her papers to find her friend, Lynn, standing at the other end of the table. Lynn was gorgeous. Her dark chocolate hair was tied back into a pony tail exposing the many piercings hanging from each ear. In addition to those Lynn sported a bright sapphire and gold nose piercing with matching belly button ring. Her deep brown eyes danced with delight as she stared down at the startled Elsa.

"Oh my god is it 1 o'clock already? I've been trying to catch up with these papers all morning that I guess I lost track of time." Elsa apologized, shoving the papers into her leather saddle bag.

"Don't worry. Athuria is parking the car but I wanted to make sure we weren't keeping you waiting." Lynn took a seat opposite of Elsa. "Besides we all know what it's like to be swamped with papers to grade."

"I've been here for hours. I figured it was easier than losing track of time and being late, which ended up not making much of a difference." The two girls laughed.

"What's so funny?" Another voice spoke from behind Lynn, placing a hand on her shoulder. Lynn looked up at the woman and smiled, placing her own hand atop of it.

"Elsa and I were talking about having to grade mountains of papers for our professors' undergraduate classes." At this Athuria chuckled and gave Lynn's shoulder a squeeze before sitting beside her, setting a plastic bag of food down on the table.

"Ah yes. I often dump mounds of papers on my TA as well. That's what you are there for. I certainly don't want to do it." The woman laughed, Elsa and Lynn both rolling their eyes.

"You don't get to talk the rest of the time, Athuria." Lynn flatly declared. Elsa's mouth upturned in an amused smile at the pair's bickering. Elsa had met Lynn at a graduate student social last semester. They had become close friends in the months after. Even Lynn's girlfriend, Athuria, and Elsa had become close once they met. Something about the inviting and warm nature of the couple comforted Elsa. It was similar to the way Anna made her feel; always felt at ease.

"So Elsa," Athuria's deep, smooth voice never ceasing to give Elsa goosebumps. "Where were you this weekend? We didn't hear from you once Friday came." Elsa was caught mid chew when Athuria questioned her. She quickly finished her bite of salad and wiped the corners of her mouth.

"I was in the lab pretty much from sun up until sun down Friday. Saturday morning I went back to the lab to finish my project and then Anna called me over to her apartment for a party she and Kristoff threw that night. And Sunday I graded those papers most of the day." Elsa said passively.

"Wait you went to a party? And didn't invite us?" Lynn asked in shock. Elsa snorted and rolled her eyes.

"It was mostly Anna's friends so I didn't think Athuria wanted to be around potential students of hers. Plus, you both don't drink like underclassmen."

"And _you_ do?" Lynn retorted.

"Fair point. But you know I needed to be there for Anna. She also wanted me to meet her new roommate." Athuria's bow perked up.

"They have a new roommate so soon?" Curiosity laced Athuria's words. Elsa nodded in affirmation, another bite of salad in her mouth.

"I thought it was strange at first as well but Kristoff knows him. He seems like a good guy from meeting him."

"So did Hans and we saw how that ended." Protectiveness rising in Athuria's voice. Elsa picked up on her friend's hesitation and began to get defensive in Jesper's absence.

"He's a film major and likes to run so I don't feel like he gets into much trouble. Hans only ever talked about partying and his fraternity, I don't even think he knew his own major. The way Jesper talks to Anna is way different than Hans ever did. He's soft spoken and caring about how she feels. He lets her in." Elsa hadn't realized she had begun rambling about Jesper more than originally planned until she saw both women staring at her. Elsa awkwardly chuckled and combed her fingers through the loose strands of hair, looking over her shoulder to avoid their gaze. "Anyway, Anna trusts him and if she can after Hans then I do too." Athuria and Lynn looked at one another and smirked.

"You seem to know a lot about him." Lynn pressed. Elsa continued to avoid Lynn's gaze still it making Lynn's smirk widen. "Is he cute?" Elsa felt her heart race and the heat in her cheeks rise. This was absurd. Of course she thought he was cute but that didn't warrant this kind of reaction. Elsa has previously found several people attractive and never had her body react this way. Lynn and Athuria were prime examples. She found them gorgeous and poised in ways she could only hope to be but her stomach never felt like 100 butterflies were trapped because of it.

"Leave her be, Lynn. There's no need to tease her. We're happy for Anna and Kristoff being able to have a new roommate." Athuria interjected. Elsa inwardly breathed a sigh in relief for Athuria ceasing the conversation. The blonde returned her attention back to the women and smiled softly.

"Fine. But next time you better invite us to the party, or at least me. Old lady Athuria can stay home and torment her TA." Lynn chuckled, amused by her own joke.

"Speaking of get togethers," Athuria moved on, choosing to ignore Lynn's jab at her. "Lynn and I were planning one this Friday. A friend of ours is coming into town and we hardly get to see her so we want her to have a good time. It probably won't be the rager that Anna's was but there will be people and drinking." Lynn scoffed in disagreement.

"Puh-lease, Athuria. We both know when Gwen comes into town it becomes a rager. The two of you together always results in a night of debauchery. The only difference between Anna's party and yours is that everyone will be hungover for at least two days instead of being up and ready for another round the next morning." The three of the them laughed.

"That is what happens when you hit the north side of 25 unfortunately." Athuria agreed.

"You should invite that guy. What's his name again?" Lynn snapped her fingers as she racked her brain.

"Jesper." Athuria answered.

"Yes! Jesper. Invite him. Everyone there will be older so it'll be nice to have another person our age to talk to. Though, you'd be surprised how much 30 year olds like to party. It's like a second round of college for them once they get their lives together. Plus, that'll give us a chance to meet him." Elsa chewed the bottom of her lip slightly. Athuria picked up on her hesitation and stepped in.

"Only if you want, don't let Lynn peer pressure you. You've only just met him." Lynn pouted her bottom lip out and Athuria grabbed it between her thumb and forefinger. "Stop that. I know that you're excited that Elsa has come across a guy she might like but there's no need to push her into anything." Lynn pulled her lip back from Athuria and sighed, knowingly.

"I knowwww." Lynn whined a little, Elsa skiled gently at her friend's good intentions. "Well if you decide you want to he's invited. If not then we'll be the only two under 25, so think about that. I can only handle talking to Val and Kathrine about the new baby they adopted for so long."

"He is very cute." Athuria countered.

"He really is, oh my god." Lynn swooned suddenly, putting her hands over her heart. "Those family portraits are going to be gorgeous." Athuria chuckled. Elsa finished her salad as the two continued to gush over the new baby. Standing, Elsa gathered the group's garbage from the table and walked to the nearby trashcan to throw it away. In her peripheral, she caught sight of a familiar red headed female.

"Anna?" Elsa questioned allowed. Her eyes curiously followed Anna's movements through the courtyard. Where was she going? Elsa's focus never faltered from her younger sibling as she took her seat back at the table. Seeing Elsa so fixated on something made Athuria and Lynn abandon their conversation and investigate as well. Anna appeared lost, looking around frantically while trying to make heads or tails of where she was. Elsa couldn't let her sister continue on that way, she could only imagine how flustered she was. "Anna!" The elder called out. Her younger sister jumped in surprise but looked quickly relieved to see a familiar face in a crowd of strangers. Anna waved and ran over.

"Elsa!" Anna exclaimed breathlessly. She doubled over and caught her breath. "Whew. Lynn! Athuria! How are you? I haven't seen you two in a while."

"We've been well, Anna. How are you?" Athuria answered. Anna opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Lynn.

"As well as you can be for being forgotten to be invited to the biggest party of the semester." She said sarcastically. Anna immediately began to panic.

"Oh my gosh, no! That wasn't it at all. I just—I don't have either of your numbers and I didn't know if you'd want to be surrounded by kids since Athuria is a professor and you both are so much more mature. It wasn't all _that_ impressive anyway. It was really just a party for my new roommate, Jesper. I mean, it wasn't _just_ a party for him but it was a reason to get some people to come over and have fun. And I wanted Elsa to meet him. Not like _meet him_ meet him, 'cause, like, she doesn't need help meeting people. Elsa can get any guy she wants. Wait… what?" Elsa smiled endearingly at her sister's flustered behavior. Athuria shared the same expression. Lynn's reaction, however, was quiet different. The mention of Jesper once again had her even more curious of the mysterious new comer and thankfully, for Lynn, Anna was much easier to get details from than her elder sister.

"What's the deal with this Jesper guy? Where'd you guys meet him, Anna? We didn't even know you were looking for a roommate so soon after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Lynn pried. Elsa put her face in her palm and sighed gently. It would seem Lynn would not ease up on this. Anna, the open book, took a seat next to Elsa, smiling brightly; happy to answer.

"He's Kristoff's friend! Well he's my friend too but he met Kristoff first in a class they took last year."

"Wait he's an undergrad?" Lynn interjected. Elsa brought her other hand to her face to try and pretend like this whole conversation wasn't happening.

"Yeah. He's a sophomore like me." Anna said candidly. Lynn looked at Elsa and then back to Anna, her grin practically reaching her ears. Lynn knew she could count on Anna to innocently tell her everything she needed to satisfy her insatiable wonder.

"So he's 19?" Anna nodded and Lynn let out a laugh of disbelief. Behind her hands Elsa's face had reddened 10 shades darker than before. "Elsa, you cradle robber, you!" Lynn teased and looked back to Anna. "So how did Mr. Jesper-the-undergrad end up in your empty room?"

"Um-" Anna dragged momentarily as she lingered on Elsa hiding her face before returning to her normal happy tone. "Oh! He had some home stuff happen and needed to move last minute. I guess he mentioned something about it to Kristoff and Kristoff offered our empty room. He asked me first before finalizing it but of course I said yes. I've met him a few times and he's a nice guy so I couldn't just let him be homeless, you know?" Lynn drank every ounce of information in. Elsa lifted her head from her hands, cheeks still brushed with a light tint of pink, also curious now. She didn't know any of this about him. "That's pretty much the whole story though."

"What does he do? Does he work?" Lynn didn't want to let this train of information end just yet. Anna rubbed her chin and thought for a moment.

"Well he runs. He also is a huge film buff. Last night he made Kristoff and I watch this foreign action film and it was surprisingly good!" Elsa was now just as invested in Anna telling small tid-bits of information about Jesper as Lynn was. "Let's see, what elsa… he works in the media stacks in the basement of the library during school but he also works at that little movie rental place down the street at night and on weekends sometimes." Anna stroked her chin. "That's really it, I think. He's got a lot of cool cameras and video equipment I saw when he was unpacking yesterday." Anna ended with a shrug. Elsa was both glad for the ordeal to be over but also little disappointed. "Why so interested in, Jesper?" Anna asked through the silence. The blush returned to Elsa's cheeks but she could keep herself composed enough to beat Lynn to the punch.

"They just want to make sure he's not going to turn out like Hans. I assured them that Jesper is a kind person and wouldn't do you any harm. It might be a little odd timing but that's no fault of Jesper's." No one would ever believe that butterflies filled Elsa's stomach as she spoke from how she delivered it; always level toned and ready with a perfect response. Anna bought it.

"Whoa! You have nothing to worry about with, Jesper. He would never hurt me." The red head said defensively.

"How do you know?" Athuria said coolly. Lynn looked to her partner a little surprised that this was when she decided to intervene. The question threw Anna for a loop; unprepared to answer right away.

"He just… talks to me about personal things. No one has been like that since Elsa and Kristoff. Also, I can see it in his eyes when he talks to me and when he's with everyone else. With Hans he always looked the same, even when he was pretending to be kind. I guess everyone is like that, though. The way you two look at each other is probably drastically different than how you look at me. People's eyes change depending on who they're with and his do that." Anna's response made Athuria smile endearingly to the girl once again. Even Lynn couldn't help but back off from the interrogation and smile softly.

"That's a very positive way of looking at people. I agree with you, Anna." Athuria complimented. It made Anna blush brightly and her heart flutter. Athuria was always the charmer.

"Th-thank you!" Anna said still embarrassed by Athuria's compliment.

"Why are you on this side of campus, Anna?" Elsa quickly tried to usher the conversation in another direction and lay the topic of Jesper to rest. Despite the mounds of mortification Lynn piled on her within the past hour the blonde was still concerned for her younger sibling. The question seemed to embarrass the red head even more. Anna looked down at her hands, thumbs fiddling with one another.

"Well," Anna began sheepishly. "Truthfully I just came to find you. I was still worried about what happened between you and Rapunzel yesterday. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And I know I could've called and that probably would have been better than trekking to this side of campus and just kind of showing up because I know you're always so busy but-"

"Anna." Elsa interrupted gently. Her younger sister looked up from her hands to find Elsa smiling at her. Anna returned the gesture. "I appreciate you looking out for me but I am truly fine I promise. Being around Eugene for so long has made Rapunzel quiet the schemer." Anna giggled in agreement. "I was also tired and being overly sensitive. I know she didn't mean to upset me." The younger sibling let out a loud sigh of relief.

"Ok good. Because I'm not sure how much more of this anxiety I could've dealt with. I almost couldn't sleep." The three older women laughed. "But now that I know everything is honky dory I feel better." Elsa shook her head endearingly at her sister. "You're always looking out for me and taking care of me so I just wanted to return the favor, ya know. I didn't really understand all of what was going on but I still am here for you." Elsa smiled and held Anna's hands in her own.

"You're the best little sister a girl could ask for." This made Anna beam with pride and hug her sister tightly around the neck.

"I love you, Elsa."

"I love you too, Anna"

"Awwwwwww" Lynn and Athuria cooed in unison. Elsa rolled her eyes at them. When Anna released Elsa from their embrace she stood and flattened her shirt out.

"I'm going to head back to my side of the world, though. I have class soon and I don't want to be late again. Goodbye! Nice seeing you again Lynn and Athuria." With a quick wave Anna was off. The three of them waved to the redhead and turned back to one another once she was out of site.

"So I take it she doesn't know you have a crush on Jesper?" Lynn said without missing a beat as usual.

"Anna has always been very optimistically naïve from the time we've met her." Athuria chimed in. "It's endearing and I'm almost jealous at how she can continue to view everything in a light despite the things she's been through."

Elsa simply sighed. "Lynn you are mentally exhausting sometimes, you know that?" Lynn grinned mischievously. "I don't even know if I have a crush on him. I've just met him. Is he easy to talk to? Yes. Is he attractive? Yes. Do I know anything about him? Not really. So, anything at this point is merely physical attraction and I don't let that dictate my emotions. Anna is my priority above anyone else, anyway." Athuria frowned.

"You can't protect her forever, Elsa. One day you'll have to listen to what you want."

"I know. I just don't know if I'm ready to yet." Elsa rubbed her temples.

"I didn't mean for this to go so sour so quickly. I'm sorry, Elsa. You know I just want what's best for you." Lynn apologized. Elsa let out a short chuckle.

"Yeah I know. You and Rapunzel both just have a very taxing way of doing it. If I see him Wednesday when I have dinner at Anna's I will ask him to come to the party." Lynn could barely contain her excitement. "But only because I love you enough to entertain your impudence." Athuria couldn't help but laugh out loud. Lynn didn't care, though. She was ecstatic that Elsa had agreed.


	5. Wednesday Dinners

Tuesday came and went without much incident. When Wednesday afternoon rolled around Elsa found herself fumbling and at a loss for concentration. After having erased and re-measured a section of exterior wall on her blueprint for the third time the blonde groaned in aggravation and tossed her pen onto the drafting table. Rubbing her temples Elsa looked over to the wall clock, the hands pointing to roughly 4:50 PM. Another exasperated sigh left her lips. Were her mistakes being caused by the expectations surrounding her weekly dinner with Anna? _That's silly._ Elsa stood from her workspace and turned the lamp off before grabbing her saddle bag. Leaving the graduate lab, the heavy wooden door locking behind her, Elsa headed for her car. "What is wrong with you, Elsa. Get it together. It's just dinner. It'll be like every week. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except you have to ask Jesper out, basically. No. No no. It's just two people hanging out at a party… that's full of couples… and that only you and him are going to." Elsa laid her forehead against her steering wheel, now sitting in her car as she talked to herself. Turning the ignition over Elsa let out one final sigh before heading to Anna's.

The whole apartment smelled delicious. Anna had vegetables and chicken roasting in the oven. On the stove the red head was stirring a pot of sauce she had concocted with several spices, tomatos, garlic and onions, while another pot of noodles boiled. Bringing a spoonful of the sauce to her lips she tasted it and licked her lips. "Mmm." A knock to the door perked Anna up. She set the spoon down on its holder and ran over, opening it. Elsa stood before her and Anna's grin widened. "Elsa!" She hugged her sister tightly causing the blonde to squeak.

"Hello, Anna." Elsa followed Anna inside once their embrace fell. "It smells amazing in here." She set her saddle back on the ground near the door and walked into the kitchen where Anna had returned to tending to her sauce.

"Thanks. I found the recipe in one of the cook books mom gave me." Anna held a spoon of sauce out for Elsa to taste. The blonde took the spoon in her lips.

"Oh wow that's delicious, Anna." Anna giggled and finished off the rest of the sauce remaining on the spoon.

"I just followed the recipe, tell that to mom."

"I'll do that. Speaking of, when are you going to visit home again?" Elsa questioned, leaning back against the sink counter.

"I was thinking this weekend actually. My class on Friday was cancelled so I was going to leave tomorrow afternoon; maybe see if Kristoff wanted to come too."

"Oh. Yeah they'll love that." A wave of brief relief washed over Elsa upon hearing her sister's plans to be away for the weekend. At least it'd be easier to not have to try and explain to Anna why she was only inviting Jesper to Lynn and Athuria's.

"Why don't you come too Elsa? Even if you left Friday you'd still have weekend."

"I actually have plans at Athuria and Lynn's or I would. They're having a get together for a friend and invited me. Plus, I'm up to my eyes in this project and I should stay in the lab with my free time."

"Oh that'll be fun. Well then I'll tell mom and dad you love them."

"Thank you." Elsa smiled. She had been engrossed in the conversation with her younger sibling so much she hadn't noticed until now that her other half was absent. Usually he wasn't far from her proximity. "Where's Kristoff?"

"He's at a meeting with one of his professors. Graduating has him stressed out even if he won't show it. He just wants to make sure his grades are good enough to pass." Elsa knew all too well what that felt like. "He'll be home around 5:45, I think."

 _And Jesper?_ The blonde asked herself.

"I invited Jesper to eat with us too if that's okay." It was if Anna could read Elsa's mind.

"O-Oh? I mean, yes. Yes of course."

"Good. I know Wednesday dinner was a you and I thing and then I kind of brought Kristoff in when we started dating so I wanted to double check." Elsa smiled somberly at the back of her sister's head as she cooked. The blonde closed the gap between them and wrapped her hands around Anna's slender waist, pressing her lips to the back of her head where she had previously fixated on. Anna's eyes closed and she relaxed into the affectionate embrace from her older sister.

"I think it's a good thing that we can invite people to dinner now. Don't you?" Elsa asked in a low voice. Anna nodded gently after a few moments, having stopped tending to the meal to enjoy this moment. Elsa gave her sister another more aggressively loving kiss to the back of her head and moved to stand beside her. "How much longer until it's ready?

"Shouldn't be much longer. Maybe fifteen minutes? Hope fully Kristoff won't be long after that and then Jesper should be home between six and six thirty but he said we could start without him."

"Good I'm starving." Elsa laughed, holding her stomach. "I accidentally skipped lunch today."

"Well then that means you'll have to eat twice as much, Elsa." The sisters laughed. When everything had finished cooking, Anna began grabbing plates and cutlery, handing them to Elsa to help set the table. Elsa arrange the table just as Anna was bringing over a bowl of noodles sitting it in the center of the plates. The two girls were finishing up the last of the food arrangement when Kristoff arrived home.

"Mmmmmm. Smells delicious in here." He said after taking a deep whiff of the flavors filling the air. Kristoff set his backpack down beside Elsa's.

"Thank you." Anna giggled and leaned up, pecking his lips. "Jesper won't be home for a bit so he said to go ahead and eat without him. So, come sit and let's dig in before it gets too cold."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Kristoff joked. He grabbed a cold beer from the fridge before sitting at the table.

"Want something to drink, Elsa?" Anna asked as she poured herself a glass of water.

"Water is fine. Thank you." The red head set the glasses in front of their plates and sat beside Kristoff who had already begun to pile the bowl of noodles onto his plate. Passing the serving tongs to Anna when he was finished Kristoff plated more of the steaming food before digging in, Anna and Elsa not far behind.

Kristoff was on his second helping of noodles and chicken when Jesper finally arrived home. Anna's head spun around, mouth full of saucy noodles.

"Welcome home, Jesper!" She said after swallowing the large portion of food. He chuckled at her table manners and waved to them. Jesper added his backpack to the pile next to the doorway before closing the door behind him.

"Hello everyone. It smells really good in here, Anna."

"It tastes as good as smells, too. Come, sit! The food is still pretty warm but you can just put it into the microwave for a minute if you need it hotter." Anna waved him over to the table.

"Give me a second and I will. I'm gunna change real quick." Jesper tugged on his bright purple work polo.

"Okie dokie." Anna turned back to the other two continuing their previous conversation about conspiracy theories. Elsa's eyes stayed on Jesper as he disappeared into his bedroom. The butterflies returned to their home in the pit of her stomach. She chewed the inside of her lip a little, getting lost in her own thoughts very quickly. Thankfully Anna and Kristoff were too preoccupied by their conversation to notice. Elsa herself hadn't realized how much she had zoned out until Jesper emerged from his bed room. He'd replaced his jeans and work polo with a simple t-shirt and black mesh shorts.

"Much better." Jesper let out a loud sigh, opening the fridge to grab a beer for himself and then Kristoff when the other male requested one. Elsa watched him cross the room toward the table. Had he always moved so effortlessly?

Jesper reached across the table to hand Kristoff his beverage before walking behind Elsa to take the empty seat at the inside of the table. He cracked the beer open and took a swig. "Alright, let's try some of this, hm?" Jesper's plate was mostly vegetables with a side of noodles and chicken. Anna chuckled as he drizzled sauce over everything.

"Kristoff and Jesper's plates are polar opposites." The red head pointed out. Jesper snickered as he munched on a stalk of asparagus.

"I'm bulking and Jesper is maintaining, that's why." Jesper nodded in agreement with Kristoff, still chewing.

"Oh, ok. Whatever you say, babe." Everyone but Kristoff laughed before he caved and joined in. After getting a few good forkfuls of food in his stomach Jesper felt like more of a person able to hold a conversation with the group. He looked to Elsa who was finishing the last bite of her vegetables. She laughed at something Anna said and covered her mouth with the back of her hand. Jesper was secretly thankful for another opportunity to talk to Elsa and get to know her more. He also especially thankful that he was sober and full clothed.

"How's your week been so far, Elsa?" Jesper asked when the group's conversation came to pause. Elsa's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She admittedly wasn't as ready as she thought she was going to be to converse with the male. The whole time during the first half of dinner Elsa was mentally preparing herself for small talk and segways into asking him to Athuria and Lynn's party. All the potential scenarios she created in her head faded away though when he spoke. Turning her head, she met his green eyes and felt herself melt.

"Um, it's been fine." She nodded, mostly to assure herself that it was sufficient, not awkward, answer. "I've been hiding away in the graduate lab working on my final project."

"It's not even the middle of the year yet." Kristoff commented.

"Well I like to be ahead of game so I'm not exhausting myself the last few weeks of school trying to finish and then not producing the best work I can." Elsa retorted causing Anna to giggle.

"What's the project?" Jesper asked, pushing the conversation forward as he genuinely wanted to know. She had jogged his memory about her what her major was and he found himself wanting to know more about the ins and outs of it.

"I'm designing an apartment community. We have to pick a location and make a budget and have reasoning behind the style of the building and such. From start to finish I'm basically the client and architect. Once I have a final draft of the design I'll also make a scaled model of it. That's why I want to start early." Even with Jesper's limited knowledge of architecture he could hear the excitement and passion for it in Elsa's voice as she explained everything. He could listen to her talk about architecture all day if she continued to speak like she was now; everything about Elsa was engaging in fact.

"That sounds really awesome, Elsa." Anna said in awe. Elsa chuckled but shook her head in disagreement.

"It's not any more awesome than your projects. The volunteer work you get to do still amazes me."

"Wait you volunteer?" Jesper tore his attention from Elsa to Anna.

"Mhm. Anna wants to be a social worker, so she goes to different children's homes and foster facilities to help bring them clothing or food and hangs out with them for the day. She's got to see a lot of kids get out of really bad homes and adopted into better family situations." Elsa said building her sister up. The compliment shower flustered Anna, having started to laugh nervously.

"Psh, it's not all that amazing, Elsa. Anyone can be a social worker but not everyone has the brain for architecture." Anna argued, trying to down play her sister's comments.

"No they can't." Jesper quickly disagreed a bit more seriously than intended. It captured both Elsa and Anna's attention. Even Kristoff was a bit surprised at how serious he sounded. Jesper realized his overreaction once all eyes were on him and shifted in his seat to try and appear more relaxed. "I mean, anyone _can_ but not everyone can be a _good_ social worker. There are plenty of ones out there who see kids in broken homes as future criminals and don't care how or where they end up. If you take the effort to treat children like people and listen to them and have patience with them then that, to me, makes you a great social worker. Having the capacity for unconditional love and patience is something not everyone has so don't downplay the importance of your job."

Elsa stared at the side of his face long after he'd stopped talking. Though he had tried to speak nonchalantly his facial expression carried a different story. She could see that he was more emotionally invested in social work than from a moral stand point. Elsa wanted to ask him about it; get to know him more than just surface level. The pain she saw in his eyes and through the downward slope of his mouth made her heart ache. It was how Anna looked when she was trying to be strong despite the tormenting feeling building inside of her. Looking to Anna, Elsa could tell she knew the answers to all the questions Elsa had by the look of desperation in her eyes. She wanted to help him. She wanted him to talk to her. She also knew that they couldn't, not in front of Kristoff and herself. Elsa shocked herself at the unexpected tinge of jealousy of her sister that crept up on her.

"Jesper, you need another beer?" Kristoff asked as he stood and walked to the kitchen. Leave it to Kristoff to break the awkward silence. It was, however, appreciated.

"I'd like to go with you one time soon, Anna. Shoot some footage for my film project if that's ok?" Jesper asked, grabbing the outstretched beer in front of him. Anna nodded vigorously.

"Of course, I'm sure the kids would love it." They exchanged grins, Jesper chuckling at her enthusiasm.

Elsa and Jesper stayed mostly quiet for the remainder of the meal. Anna and Kristoff had begun talking about couple specific conversations, like laundry and groceries, leaving the other two to listen and enjoy the company and comedic antics from the other pair. It was how Elsa usually spent these dinners anyway. She assumed, from how comfortable Jesper was listening to the two's banter, that he did as well. They did get a break when Anna and Kristoff stood to begin clearing the table. When Elsa and Jesper stood to help, Anna sweetly but forcefully told them to sit. Jesper tried to protest but she walked to the kitchen pretending not to hear him. The male sighed in defeat, plopping back in his seat.

"She's stubborn." Elsa chuckled and shook her head. Jesper smirked and turned himself in his chair to face the blonde fully.

"She is." He combed his fingers through his hair and took a sip of his almost empty can, relaxing a bit more. "So you guys do this every Wednesday?"

"Mhm. It started with just Anna and I. It was way to make sure we still saw each other despite how busy our schedules for school got. I-" She stopped herself and looked into his eyes. Elsa was hoping to see what Anna did whenever she had talked to him but she wasn't sure what she was looking for, let alone what it'd look like. Elsa was not as in tune with other people like Anna was. It took her forever to even understand Anna on the level that she does now and she was her own sister. She hugged herself, shifting a bit uncomfortably in her seat. "Our parents got in an awful car wreck when we were younger and I didn't take it well. I took a lot of it out on Anna and shut her out to the point where we were practically strangers in our own home even after our parents got better. When I left for college I realized I'd missed out on so much of Anna's life and I regretted every minute of it, so we started doing Wednesday dinners. It was just us for a while and then Anna met Kristoff and now you." When Elsa finished she wasn't sure how she felt about being so vulnerable to Jesper. Part of her was scared but it had felt so easy to talk to him that the other part wanted to continue.

"Does that mean I'm invited every Wednesday?" The blonde was taken aback by his response. She frantically began to try and backtrack and turn the conversation around and away from her personal confession. What had she done? He probably thought she was awkward and too forth coming. How was she going to iron this out? Jesper watched her momentarily as the metaphorical gears turned in her head. He'd seen her drop her veil of composure momentarily and it was like he was looking at an entirely different person. It seemed Elsa had just as much built up inside of her as Jesper did and he sympathized with that. "I find it telling that you can talk about something traumatic and personal like that." Her mind ceased and Elsa lifted her head curiously as Jesper went on. "And I'm sure most people tell you that 'It wasn't your fault' or that 'They're sorry for you but glad you and Anna are closer now' But I think that it's good you can talk about it. It means you're healing and that Anna is healing and it's become an event you share rather than a mistake that defines you. I know we've just met but I'm grateful you felt like you could tell me. I understand what that feels like." Elsa was lost in his words. Was this the same boy who she'd met who had his face in his toilet not minutes before their first conversation? Elsa had to ask him now before she lost her nerve. This hadn't been a part of her original game plan but something inside of her told Elsa that she had to ask him this second or the chance would be lost entirely.

"What are you doing this weekend?"

"Uhm…" Was all Jesper could manage to utter. It appeared Elsa was just as good as putting him at a loss for words as he did her.

"My friends are having a party Friday and if you're not busy I wanted to invite you." Elsa continued. Jesper still pulled for words to speak so he wasn't sitting here slack-jaw with no response for the blonde. "It's okay if you can't." Elsa added.

"No, no. I can. I will. I mean, I'd like to. That would be fun." The knot in Elsa's stomach untied itself and she could feel the tenseness in her shoulders dissipate upon receiving his answer. This must be how Anna felt all the time, Elsa was practically flying by the seat of her pants.

"Good." The blonde was attempting regain her normal composure. The corners of her lips turned upward into a soft smile.

"Where should I meet you?"

"Their house isn't far from here. I can meet you here and we can get an Über, is that okay?" Jesper nodded.

"Yeah, yeah of course. What time?"

"I'll have to let you know. Neither one of them have given me a time yet but as soon as I know, you'll know." Elsa was actually doing it. She had successfully invited Jesper and avoided making it awkward in any way. Inwardly she was ecstatic.

"Cool. Do I need to wear anything special or…?" Elsa giggled and shook her head gently.

"No. It's a come as you are kind of affair." Jesper chuckled as well, relieved.

"Good, suit and tie events always make me feel like out of place." Elsa hid her face partially feeling her cheeks heat up at the thought of Jesper in a suit. She felt like a silly school girl but had no idea how to not act as such. Lynn was right, it had admittedly been since her early college years that she had any sort of crush on a guy. They only dated for a short while but it had kind of deterred her from trying again. Most guys she met on a day to day basis never fully caught her attention anyway. And then when she shifted her focus to Anna no one else mattered after that. So for Jesper to come from nowhere, cause her to lose her stoic nature and reduce her to a giggling, blushing mess in a matter of a few days really left Elsa out of her element. "Can I get your number so you can send me the deets when you get them?" Elsa blinked in disbelief before laughing out loud.

"Deets?" She questioned between her rhythms of laughter.

"Yeah?" Jesper was chuckling with her. "You don't like my lingo?"

"No no." Elsa defended trying to gather herself. "I guess it's something I rarely hear people say. Do you say 'cool beans' and do finger guns too?"

"I haven't the slightest clue what you could mean." This only made her laugh all over again.

"Oh my. I have a feeling Lynn will like you very much when she meets you."

"Well I aim to please." Elsa wiped the corner of her eye of water as she took out her cell phone, unlocking it. "Just call your number and I'll save it." As the pair were exchanging numbers Anna walked over having finished cleaning the kitchen.

"It sounds like you two were having fun over here." The red head pointed out. "What's so funny?"

"Elsa is making fun of the way I talk." Elsa gasped and playfully shoved him.

"I did not! I basically said that I don't hear many people talk like they're straight of an 80's high school movie."

"The slang you use sometimes is pretty outdated, Jesper." Anna stated, taking Elsa's side. Jesper tossed his hands in the air in disbelief.

"Kristoff? Are you going to let them gang up on me?"

"Ya talk weird, dude." The group laughed.


	6. Getting Ready

Thursday both flew by and crept along agonizingly for Jesper. He went through the motions of his daily routine: run, eat, class, work, eat, homework, bed. The whole day, though, his mind was elsewhere. Through his film history class he checked his phone periodically hoping to see a message from Elsa. When over half of the day went by without a word from her he began to try and find reasons to text her first. In the end, however, Jesper decided to be patient and wait it out. She had said she'd text him and she would eventually, he decided. The party wasn't until Friday night anyway. Anna and Kristoff left him that evening after dinner and the silence of the apartment made it even more difficult to wait. At around 2 AM, after hours of editing footage in the darkness of his room, Jesper finally passed out.

Friday started the same as the day before. Jesper's alarm woke him at 5:30 AM for his morning run. Afterward he showered and made coffee, sitting at the kitchen table alone. This was about the time Kristoff would awaken and join him in the kitchen. Anna's first class of every day wasn't until 10 AM so she was always last to wake. Today, though, he sat alone to eat his eggs and English muffin until it was time to start his walk to campus, the trio living only a little over half a mile away. Jesper liked it a lot more than having to drive his Jeep to and from his old foster home, considering how much gas cost. Jesper had only bought it because taking the bus had become difficult to manage with his school and work schedule. It had taken him a few months to save enough between two jobs but the guy he bought it from gave him a great deal and promised to hold it for him until he had the money. Making his classes and getting to work on time had become much easier but a lot of his pay check was spent fueling the gas guzzler. Now that he lived more centralized to campus and town Jesper walked everywhere to save money, Anna had even offered him use of her bicycle if he ever needed it.

Jesper's first class ended early leaving him ample time before his next class to sneak in some classwork. He made his way to the top floor of his department building, taking the stairs two at a time, where the computer lab and library were located. The male walked past a few tables of students trying to find an empty seat to situate himself and work.

"Jesper!" His name was called out. He turned and scanned looking for the source, stopping at a waving brunette. Jesper waved back and walked toward Rapunzel and two other girls sitting with her at a table.

"Oh hey, Jesper." She greeted as he got closer. "I've never seen you in here before. Lost?" Rapuzel teased. He chuckled and adjusted his backpack.

"No way. I'm usually still in class but it ended early so I wanted to do some work before my next one. I tend to stay in the basement."

"Oh yeahhh, all the film majors are down there aren't they? Bunch of cave dwellers." Rapunzel scrunched her nose and giggled a little. "Viola, Wendy, this is Jesper. He's my cousin Anna and her boyfriend Kristoff's new roommate." The girls waved and he nodded his head to them, smiling awkwardly. Introductions were usually uncomfortable for him. He always over thought how exactly to greet people. "I told you he was cute, right?" The three giggled and Jesper rolled his eyes blushing lightly, shifting his weight in his legs. "Even cuter when he blushes." They giggled more. "So, what are you going to do all weekend since Anna and Kristoff are gone?" Jesper shrugged.

"Probably edit my short film and watch movies." Jesper wasn't lying but he intentionally left out that he was going to a party with Elsa later that night. The male could already hear the conversation with Rapunzel in his head and he didn't want the girl to call Elsa and make a big deal out of nothing.

"How very studious of you. Well if Eugene and I do anything I'll get your phone number from Anna and hit you up. No sense in being in your apartment alone all weekend, right?" The male nodded in agreement but in reality he was looking forward to the silence and solitude in the coming days. The male enjoyed spending his time with Anna and Kristoff in the apartment but every once in a while he needed his space. Jesper's phone then vibrated in his pocket. A text? Was it from Elsa? He had to find out but not in front of Rapunzel.

"Thanks Rapunzel." Jesper said hurriedly. "Well I gotta try and do some of this work before my class. I'll talk to you later. Nice meeting you, Viola and Wendy" With that Jesper left the table and hastily moved further into the library, looking for a vacant row of stacks to duck between. When one came into view Jesper walked in about half way and squatted down, pulling his phone from his pocket.

 ** _Hey, it's Elsa! Sorry it's taken so long to text. My friends just let me know this morning what time we should show up. Everyone is arriving around 7ish so I'll probably get to your place at 6:45? Then we can uber over. That ok?_**

A lopsided smile formed on his face as he read her text. It was a relatively uneventful text but it made Jesper's stomach flip. It the same feeling he had gotten when she had asked him to accompany her to the party. Furiously his thumbs tapped across the screen to reply.

 ** _No worries! 6:45 sounds good to me._**

He read over the text five more times before sending it. If he was better at talking through messaging he'd be able to keep their conversation going but all he could think to respond with was confirmation. Sighing, defeated, Jesper stood. Just as he went to push his phone back into his front pocket it vibrated again. Elsa's name displayed on his lock screen. _She texted back?_

 ** _Perfect. Do you need me to grab you any alcohol?_**

Jesper felt the color rush to his cheeks. He was overacting. Elsa was just doing him a favor because he was underage and Kristoff wasn't in town.

 ** _Yeah, that would be far out. I'll give you cash when you come over. 6 pack of Yuengling, please._**

It wasn't long before his phone buzzed again. Maybe she was waiting by her phone like he was.

 ** _You in a Brady Bunch mood today? Lol. Should I expect you in bell bottoms and a fringed vest tonight?_**

Jesper laughed to himself and shook his head.

 ** _I was thinking more beatnik. I'm sure it won't be hard to find a black turtle neck somewhere._**

Another vibration.

 ** _Excellent. I hope you can grow a goatee in a few hours. I'll text you when I leave my apartment. See you soon._**

Jesper couldn't help but laugh to himself once again. That was a lot easier than he thought but only because Elsa was much better at texting than himself. Who knows what would have transpired if they both were inept at conversation. Now that the plans were officially set up Jesper felt a weight lift from his chest. He hadn't realized how much anxiety he had built up awaiting Elsa's text. All he had to do now was make it through the rest of the day.

* * *

Jesper stood before his open closet, towel wrapped around his waist. He couldn't remember a time where he'd put so much thought into what to wear. "Fuck.." He breathed out, combing his fingers through his damp hair. "This shouldn't be so difficult you idiot." Jesper talked to himself. He crossed his room to where his phone sat charging on his bed. The time was 6:30 PM. _Elsa should be leaving soon._ Groaning, the male tossed his phone back on his bed. Opening the top drawer of his dresser, he pulled out a pair of boxer briefs and socks. It was at least a start. Jesper found himself in front of his closet once again, still no clue as to what to wear. His wardrobe consisted of pretty much the same items just in varying colors. A ding from his phone sounded. That was probably Elsa, he was running out of time. Out of frustration Jesper finally yanked a pair of charcoal grey, slim, chino pants from it's hanger and pulled them up over his waist. As he walked back to his phone Jesper bent down and scooped up his leather belt laying on the floor, pulling it through the loops of the pants.

 ** _On the way over, got your beer. We should have a drink before heading over. I had a stressful day, lol. See you in 10ish minutes._**

He couldn't help but chuckle lightly. Everything Elsa said caused him smile involuntarily.

 ** _Righteous. See you soon. Drive safe._**

Jesper returned the phone to his bed and took his spot back at the closet once again. "Okay, Jesper. It's just a party. You're just hanging out with her, get a grip." He inhaled deeply and nodded, pumping himself up. A plain white t-shirt and forest green long sleeve shirt was what he settled on. It was simple but sometimes that stood out more than dressing up. Pushing the sleeves of his shirt up to just below his elbows he squatted down and dug in his closet for his white Adidas shoes. What an ordeal this had been. Jesper moved to his bathroom and finished getting ready by applying deodorant and tussling his hair with a dab of hair paste. As he was finishing washing off the excess hair product from his hands a knock came at the door. "Coming!" Jesper called out as he jogged from his bedroom to the front door. Elsa was smiling crookedly, holding up the alcohol in either hand when the door opened. "I thought you had a key?" Jesper asked as she stepped inside.

"I do but I wasn't sure if I should use it since Anna wasn't home." She handed off his Yuengling to him and walked into the kitchen.

"Oh. Yeah, makes sense. Well next time feel free to just come in." His eyes stayed fixated on her as she stretched upward grabbing for a cup from one of the top shelves of the cabinet. Elsa wore a white and navy tank top under a grey zip up hoodie, both of which exposed her midriff with her arms stretched above her head. Her light wash jeans hugged the curves of her hips perfectly and extenuated the length of her legs. Jesper practically had to force himself to look away as Elsa closed the cabinet door and moved to the fridge to grab a few mixers for her bottle of vodka.

"I'll remember that next time." Elsa said as she concentrated on making the perfect mixed drink to down before they headed to the party. The young woman held her cup up to toast when the drink was finished.

"Shit." He laughed and fumbled with the beer bottle as he tried to get it open. Elsa chuckled softly as she watched him. Once ready he held his drink out as well and they tapped one another. Elsa tilted her head back and took a long gulp of the liquid. Jesper watched in awe as he drank his own. She sighed in satisfaction. "It must've been one hell of a day. You didn't down a drink that fast the other night." This made Elsa blush faintly. Her eyes averted his as she tried to remain nonchalant.

"Yeah. The students in the class I TA for are just unbearable sometimes, Fridays are the worst though because all they care about is when they can start drinking. So, when my class comes around they've already checked out, if they even come."

"That would drive me to drink too." She laughed at his statement and took a purposeful, much smaller sip of her drink.

"I see why all my professors take the weekends off and leave all the work for me to do. They need a break from the constant bombardment of ridiculous questions."

"It's a hard knock life for professors that's for sure." Jesper took another large gulp of his beer. Elsa nodded in agreement and chugged the remainder of her drink. The blonde pulled out her phone to begin setting up their Über as Jesper chugged his own beer. "How much do I owe you for the beer?" Jesper asked as he tossed the empty bottle in the garbage.

"Nothing, just pay for the Über there and back and we'll be even. It's only a few dollars both ways." She handed him her phone to put his card information in to pay. "And don't worry I'll delete your stuff after tonight so you don't have to worry about me going on exertions at your expense." Jesper chuckled as he typed the information in. Elsa shifted her weight to one side and hugged herself, watching him with gentle eyes.

"I wouldn't have pegged you as someone who'd do that any way, but I appreciate the consideration." Jesper finished and handed the phone back.

"You're not wrong. Let's wait outside. It says the car is only a few minutes away."

"Righto." Jesper grabbed his beer, keys and wallet, following Elsa out the door. They didn't wait long by the foot of the stairs before a black Honda Civic pulled up, Über sticker plaster on the front windshield. Elsa climbed in the back seat as did Jesper after her. The ride over was quiet despite their driver's country music blaring through the speakers. Jesper stared idly out the window, zoning out at everything passing them by, Elsa seemingly doing the same. They pulled into a small neighborhood of older looking, single story houses surrounded by large trees.

"Here we go 1560 Camelot Drive. Have a nice night you two." The driver called out as they stopped at the end of a short driveway.

"Thank you." Elsa said sliding out of the back seat. The car drove off and Jesper took Elsa's side, who had yet to move. She stood there staring at the house trying to gather her nerves. Jesper glanced sideways at her but decided against saying anything and just waited to move until she did. The blonde released a soft sigh before making the ascent up the driveway, Jesper following. The two could hear faint music coming from the other side of the door. By the looks of the amount of cars already parked in the driveway and along the street there it was a good chance they were fashionably late. Only moments after Elsa knocked on the door did Lynn answer.

"Elsa!" The young woman exclaimed. She hugged her friend tightly and ushered the two of them inside. It was in fact a bustling party. There weren't many surfaces in the house that weren't occupied by someone.

"Lynn, this is Jesper." Elsa's words were friendly but her eyes pleaded to Lynn in hopes she would get the hint and not overract. This made Lynn giggle and wave her blonde friend's concerns off.

"Nice you meet you, Jesper. Come on, let's see if we can find a place in the fridge for your beer." Jesper nodded following behind Lynn with Elsa taking the tail end of the train into the kitchen. Lynn took Jesper's beer from him after he removed one and maneuvered it into the already packed fridge. "Perfect. You might not be able to get it out but at least it'll stay cold, right?" She smirked looking to Elsa who was already mixing another drink for herself. "Come on Elsa I want you meet Gwen." They made their way through the living room to an open glass door leading outside onto a large wooden deck. Elsa and Lynn walked up to the two women stationed at one end of a long beer pong table. Athuria had been concentrating on tossing her ping pong ball so intently she hadn't noticed the women until they were right in front of her.

"Elsa, you made it!" Elsa couldn't help but giggle. Athuria must've already been tipsy by how overly excited she was to see the blonde. The usually quiet and stoic woman only got that way when she drank. "Shit!" She said abruptly as her opponent tossed their ball successfully into a red solo cup. Taking a large swig of her beer she then motioned to the woman beside her. "Elsa this is Guinevere." The woman outstretched her hand to Elsa.

"Nice to meet you, Elsa. You're just as beautiful as Lynn and Athuria go on about." Athuria nudged Gwen who giggled and tussled her own long, curly, sandy-blonde locks innocently. After tossing her ball, and missing, Athuria turned back to the younger women.

"Any way. How are you, Elsa? Did you just arrive?" Elsa was still fending off the color in her cheeks from Gwen's comment, hiding behind her cup as Athuria addressed her.

"Yes. And from the looks of it, it appears I'm a little late." She chuckled. Athuria was downing the rest of her beer, the final cup on their side having been sunk. She shook her head at Elsa's comment, face distorted from having chugged more beer than she cared for.

"Nonsense. Everyone just kind of showed up at the same time. You're right on time." Now that the older woman wasn't splitting her attention between the two younger women and her game of beer pong she could notice the male standing not too far behind Elsa, drinking his beer and looking around idly at the people surrounding them. "This must be, Jesper." Elsa's heart thumped in her ears as she began to inwardly panic. She had thought she would have to worry about Lynn making things weird but Athuria seemingly was going to take the role tonight. Elsa was hoping they would act as if Elsa had never talked about him previously. Everyone's eyes turned to him making him chuckle nervously and wave to the group.

"Hello." Was all he could think to say.

"Elsa said she was inviting someone, so it's nice to meet you." A wave of relief washed over Elsa as Athuria continued. It seemed Elsa was working herself up over nothing. Just because Lynn teased her incessantly the other day doesn't mean she was going make Jesper or herself uncomfortable now. And Athuria had herself under control despite her intoxication. "This is my old friend Guinevere and I guess you've met my partner, Lynn." Athuria motioned between the two.

"Partner? Like, girlfriend?" Jesper spoke before thinking but it made Athuria laugh loudly.

"Yes, girlfriend. Lynn and I live here together."

"Ohhhh. Cool beans." He took a sip from his bottle. "Your house is really nice." Athuria smirked a little and glanced at Elsa teasingly, who rolled her eyes in response.

"I assume you play beer pong?" Athuria asked Jesper. He nodded and she clapped her hands together, excitedly.

"Excellent, because I'm absolutely awful. You and Elsa, versus Gwen and I. It'll be even because Gwen is good and Elsa isn't." Elsa choked on her drink.

"Hey! I'm not awful." Elsa protested.

"Elsa." Athuria's face and voice were full of skepticism as she stared at her. Jesper chuckled and stepped up from behind Elsa to beside her now, placing his hand on her shoulder. Lynn and Athuria exchanged quick glances before looking to Elsa, who was fighting off another change in her facial temperature.

"I'm sure you're not that bad." Jesper defended. Both Lynn and Athuria laughed at this. Elsa sighed and shook her head.

"No, I am actually quite bad. I apparently don't have the depth perception needed for this game." Jesper shrugged, still smiling. He tapped the neck of his bottle on the rim of her cup and took a swig of his beer.

"Guess I'll just have to carry the team then. Come on, let's play." Athuria clapped her hands together in approval and pulled another beer from the case she had hidden under the table.

"Excellent. I like this guy. Jesper, set up your side, please." Jesper had already taken his place at other end of the table, setting the cups up in their triangular fashion. Elsa remained by Lynn, too nervous to move. Not about playing beer pong but about being with Jesper at a party with her friends. She was still fighting with herself about whatever budding emotions she had toward him. So far everyone was taking to him quickly and that almost made her more nervous. Lynn leaned in causing Elsa to break away from her inner turmoil.

"If you don't go over there and play beer pong with that cute guy I swear to god, Elsa. He's so in to you. Get out of your head, let loose and enjoy the party." Lynn hissed before giving Elsa a light shove. Elsa couldn't help but giggle.

"Yes mom." Elsa teased, sticking her tongue out, Lynn returning the gesture. Lynn was right. She just needed to relax and have fun. The young woman stood beside Jesper who had cracked open a fresh can of beer Athuria had slid across the table to him.

"You ready?" Jesper asked Elsa.

"Are _you_ ready? This is about to be a total train wreck I hope you know."


	7. A Toast to Fucking Unapologetically

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. I've had a real fun time writing it. A special thank you to everyone who's reviewed the story up to this point, I really appreciate the feed back so please continue. With that being said this chapter is one of the reasons the story is M so be warned before reading it if you happen to not like reading about sexual encounters. Thank you once again and enjoy!

* * *

One cup remained on either side of the beer pong table. Their game had gone on for so long that the group had begun to gather a crowd. Neither Elsa nor Athuria had made one cup the entire game leaving Gwen and Jesper to carry it along. Gwen tossed her ping pong ball and missed, a unison groan passing through the crowd. It was Elsa and Jesper's turn now. The pair were tipsy at this point, having to down drink after drink as Gwen sunk their cups. Thankfully the opposite pair weren't any better off. Jesper tossed his ping pong ball and it missed causing the brunette to throw his back his head. "Shiiiiit." He cursed. Elsa held her ball and looked across the table at the lone cup. The male put his hand around her waist and pulled her close. Elsa was tipsy but the gesture still flustered her greatly. "You got this, Elsa. Just imagine something else at the end of the table. Get a good arc," He mimed himself making a shot. "And let the ball go. I know you can do it." Though his pep talk was much appreciated Elsa still was in disbelief that she would break her missing streak on the last shot of the game. His hand slipped from around her waist to allow Elsa to concentrate. Elsa bit her lip gently and then tossed her ball, jumping a bit for more momentum. The ping pong ball flew and landed in the last cup with ease. Everyone around them erupted into cheer. To Elsa, though, all she heard was Jesper as he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up. Though startled by the action the blonde quickly eased into his embrace and giggled, hands on his chest for balance. Jesper grinned widely as he sat her down.

"That was a game winning toss right there. Can we get a recap?" Jesper held his hands out, creating a rectangle with both his thumbs and forefingers, pretending to be shooting with a camera. One eye squinted as he panned from Elsa's face to the table and then over to Athuria and Lynn. Gwen giggled and winked, waving the boy off before he panned back to Elsa, pretending to hold a microphone now. "And how does it feel to make the game winning shot?" He moved the imaginary microphone to face her causing Elsa to bring her hand up mouth, giggling. Elsa was too flustered and unable to stop laughing to answer. Her wide grin was contagious, Jesper unable stop himself upon seeing her having such a good time. "No comment? Not wanting to brag in front of the losing team? That's very thoughtful of you." Elsa shoved him lightly in the chest and shook her head, finally regaining her composure. Athuria, Lynn and Gwen joined the two, allowing another group to begin a new game.

"Good game, you two." Gwen said once they were within speaking distance.

"And good shot to Elsa. I thought the game was going to go on forever." Athuria added.

"Who knew she had any ounce of athleticism in her." Lynn teased, sticking her tongue out. Elsa returned the gesture.

"It honestly was a lucky shot. I'll probably never make another one in my life." Elsa said turning her hands upward and shrugging.

"Lucky shot or not, we still won." Jesper gave her a thumb up. "And that's all that matters." Athuria chuckled gently at him.

"Come, Jesper. Let's get drinks for everyone." The older blonder declared, ushering Jesper away before giving him a chance to answer her. Once in the kitchen Athuria pulled out a beer for him before opening her own. "So." She began after taking a sip of her can. "Tell me about yourself. Elsa says you've moved into Anna and Kristoff's empty bedroom." Jesper nodded as he drank from his beer can.

"Yeah. Kristoff told me they had a spare bedroom and I needed to move so it worked out pretty well." Jesper leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Why'd you need to move?" Athuria asked, leaning against the counter across from him and crossing her arms over her chest. The question made him shift uncomfortably and take a larger drink of his beer. Maybe it was his inebriation that made him answer more honestly than he usually would or maybe it was the similar tone in Athuria's voice that Anna had that first day. Anna's was much more filled with emotion than Athuria's but the delivery behind it was the same.

"My foster family didn't want me anymore, or to begin with, really. Once I aged out of the system they kicked me out. I think I mentioned something in passing about looking for a place to move and Kristoff offered theirs." Athuria stared down at the male, not expecting his answer.

"Do Anna and Kristoff know?" She asked after a moment of silence between the two.

"Anna does, she asked and it's really hard to say no to her." They both chuckled in agreement. "But Kristoff doesn't. It's not really something I tell people. It's just a lot to explain and then they want to know why I was in foster homes. It's better if I avoid the topic, ya know." Athuria nodded, taking the hint that he didn't want to be pressed further on the matter.

"Does Elsa know?"

"Uhm, no. She's never asked."

"Would you tell her if she did?" Jesper shifted again, his eyes now fixated down on the mouth of his beer.

"Probably."

"What if she wanted to know why?"

"I… dunno, honestly. I don't think it's something I've fully dealt with. So, telling someone else would be hard." Jesper said softly. Athuria pushed from counter and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to find her smiling comfortingly at him.

"Hey, sorry. I get very talkative when I drink and I don't always realize how deep I'm prying. Elsa is also a very good friend of mine and I love her like my own sibling so I can't help but get protective whenever she decides she wants to bring a guy to my party, friend or not. But she is a wonderful young woman and if you ever do find the moment to talk to her about it she will listen and she will understand." Jesper nodded slowly, sighing in relief. "Let's make the ladies their drinks and head back out before they think we've gotten lost."

* * *

"He totally likes you, Elsa!" Lynn exclaimed. Elsa blushed and looked around in a panic, shushing her friend. "Psh don't be so worried, they're inside. What do you think Gwen?"

"His body language definitely suggests that he's into you. He's a cutie for sure." The curly haired woman squatted under the beer pong table and reached into the case of beer they had previously pulled from revealing a flask bottle of dark whiskey. "Take a shot with me Lynn." The woman dangled the bottle in front of the other two women, giggling.

"Ew, Gwen you know I hate shots." Lynn wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"And I hate beer but I drink it for Athuria. We all make sacrifices, babe." Gwen opened the bottle, the strong smell of whiskey filling the air. "Elsa you too. It'll help you loosen up more so you can smooch the boy." The blonde's face turned ten shades darker as she began to stammer trying to deny the accusations of wanting to kiss Jesper. Lynn came to her rescue though.

"Gwen, not everyone is as liberal with their affections like you."

"I don't know why not. It's so liberating to just let yourself succumb to primal desires." Gwen took a large swing of the whiskey, holding it in her cheeks before leaning in and kissing Lynn, transferring the alcohol into her mouth. Lynn swallowed, a flushed color having crept over her beautifully toffee colored cheeks. Elsa stood there in belwilderment. The alcohol was making it difficult for her to register what had exactly happened between the two women right away. Lynn had gone from being the fiery young woman Elsa knew to a flustered, submissive girl in a matter of seconds.

"Gwennn, not in front of Elsa. She doesn't know." Lynn whined a little still breathless. Was she turned on? Gwen laughed and poured a shot of the liquid in a cup for Elsa.

"You haven't told her?" Elsa took the outstretched cup from Gwen as the woman spoke.

"Told me what?" Elsa was more confused than before. Gwen smirked and looked to Lynn who sighed before looking to her friend.

"Athuria and I are polyamorous. Gwen isn't just Athuria's friend, she's our partner. It's not that we didn't want to tell you we just didn't know how." Elsa looked from Lynn to Gwen and couldn't stop her brain from picturing the three women entangled in one another. Before Elsa got a chance to respond Jesper and Athuria returned, drinks in hand.

"Ladies." Athuria announced and began to hand out their respective drinks. "What are we talking about?" She asked smiling and wrapping her arm around Lynn.

"Gwen told Elsa that we're poly." Athuria snapped her head to Gwen who laughed and held her hands up defensively.

"I'm sorry Athuria. I didn't know she didn't know. I figured you'd have told her by now." Athuria pinched the bridge of nose and sighed.

"Well the cat is out of the bag now. I'm apologize this is how you found out" Elsa, who had been quietly formulating her response to the confession, finally spoke.

"You don't need to apologize. It's something a lot of people wouldn't understand so I can see why you'd be hesitant. I don't think any differently of you both—three." Elsa smiled gently and downed the shot of whiskey, face contorting from the taste. Lynn embraced her friend tightly, the two giggling, realizing how silly it had been to worry about what Elsa would think of Athuria and Lynn's relationship with Gwen.

"And what do you think, Jesper?" Gwen asked as she poured him a shot.

"It's pretty hot I guess." The women rolled their eyes and let out a dissatisfied moan, causing Jesper to laughed before tilting his head back and taking the shot.

"Could you have answered any more like a dude bro?" Lynn insulted.

"I could've. But, seriously, it's whatever. Love you wanna love. Who am I to pass judgement on your relationship if its consensual and makes you happy, right?" He shrugged and took a sip from his beer.

"I wish everyone could be like you." Gwen commented. Lynn and Athuria nodded in agreement. "A toast!" Gwen announced powerfully, holding her drink up. "To fucking unapologetically." Lynn elbowed the woman causing her to grunt between her chuckling. The group tapped glasses and drank simultaneously. Gwen and Jesper were still chugging their beverages after the other three had stopped. They finished their drinks at almost the same time. "I like this guy." Gwen motioned to Jesper who grinned as he caught his breath.

* * *

The party went on late into the night. Everyone was well past tipsy when midnight hit and the guests began to leave. Gwen hadn't waited for the all the guests to leave before she changed into pajama pants and tank top and exhaustedly draped herself along the length of the couch. Once the guests, sans Elsa and Jesper, had left Lynn joined Gwen on the couch, mumbling drunkenly as she buried herself into the crook of Gwen's side. Elsa was hiccupping gently, giggling between each one as she tried holding her breath to cease them. Jesper's head was in a fog but he was able to keep himself upright and coherent for the most part.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay, Elsa?" Athuria asked for the fifth time. The older woman had begun sobering up hours ago and had returned to her role as the responsible adult. Elsa waved her hand, dismissing the question yet again.

"My car is at Jesper's. I'll stay in Anna's bed and be ready to go in the morning, don't worry. The driver should be here in a minute, though. Come on Jesper. Good night Athuria, see you this week." The blonde waved leaving Jesper to follow behind.

"Nice meeting you, Athuria." He gave a short wave to her and then to the now sleeping Lynn and Gwen before exiting the house. Just as Elsa had said the car pulled up the driveway to pick them up minutes after stepping out of the front door. Elsa stumbled into the back seat. When Jesper plopped down into the other side of the back seat Elsa almost immediately scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks fer comin', Jesper. I had fun." The words trying hard not slur as they left her lips. He chuckled and got more comfortable before wrapping his arm around her. Elsa used this opportunity to get even closer to the male.

"Thank you for inviting me. I like your friends."

"They like you. A lot, actually. Lynn likes people but Athuria is harder to impress. She likes you, though." Jesper laid his head on the top of hers and closed his eyes. Her hair smelled like eucalyptus mint and he couldn't help but take another breath in. "Jesper?" Elsa spoke softly after a few minutes of silence. The male lifted his head to look down at her only to suddenly have her lips pressed into his own. Maybe it was the alcohol that made him allow his better judgement fade away so easily but Jesper quickly gave in to Elsa. Her tongue parted his lips slowly, causing Jesper to let out a gentle moan. The blonde's hand slid up Jesper's chest, gripping his shirt in an attempt to pull them even closer together. Even though it felt like their journey had just begun the car had reached Jesper's apartment. Pulling away, breathless, Elsa adjusted her clothing and hair, stepping from the car. What was she doing? She couldn't do this, could she? Her mind spun as they ascended the stairs. Somewhere in the back of her head screamed a voice telling her to go straight to Anna's room and sleep off these lustful feelings she was harboring. Jesper opened the door and Elsa's heart thumped in her ears, she had to choose. When the door clicked behind them and her brain registered the sound of the lock turning Elsa's mind shut off and let her body take control. Jesper hadn't time to set his keys on the kitchen counter before Elsa had him pinned, mouth melded to his own. His hands found her sides, sliding beneath the fabric of her tank top and against her soft skin. She pressed into the touch, wanting—needing more. In one fluid motion Jesper had spun her around now pinning her to the counter where he once was.

"Fuck." She moaned hungrily, gripping tufts of his hair between her fingers. Jesper had begun planting soft, passionate kisses down her neck and now exposed collar bone. She couldn't take much more of this fire growing inside of her. Her hands made their way to his pants button and fumbled with it until it was open. Jesper did the same with her own and lifted her up onto the kitchen counter, sliding her jeans down simultaneously. The male dropped down and kissed the inner skin of her thighs. Elsa threw her head back with a sharp gasp and spread her legs wider to invite him further up. Her fingers laced through his hair, gripping it tight as his lips found her sensitive womanhood. Jesper teased her through her now wet undergarments, Elsa biting her bottom lip roughly due to it. "Jesper!" She finally pleaded. Elsa was met with sweet release when Jesper pushed the fabric of her underwear to the side and slid his tongue between her labia. His tongue danced over every inch of her hot sex, making her puddle slightly onto the kitchen counter. When Jesper's tongue flicked her clit she let out a loud, pleasurable moan. Jesper's tongue traveled back down and up her womanhood. Feeling his tongue grow ever closer to her sensitive regions she grabbed hold of his hair and pulled his mouth from between her legs.

Their mouths met and she tasted herself on his lips. Elsa was intoxicated from both him and the alcohol; everything felt like a dream. The blonde wrapped her legs around his waist. She could feel his hardening member between her legs, causing her to involuntarily begin to grind against him. Jesper moaned in her mouth and when he went to pull away she merely held him tighter against her. The friction between them was putting his cock fully at attention and desperate to be relieved. Elsa was the one who pulled from the kiss as she began planting kisses down his neck that quickly turned into gentle nips at the tender flesh. Goosebumps covered his skin as her teeth grazed along his neck. With one hand still entangled in his hair the other slid down his chest and beneath the waist line of his boxers. "Elsa." He whimpered. The blonde bit his lip and pulled him free from beneath the fabric. She moved her hand along his shaft slowly, Jesper letting out a low groan. Both fires within them burned intensely, needing to be put out. Neither Elsa nor Jesper knew any reality other than the one they were experiencing in that moment.

Elsa's hands began to stroke more intensely and Jesper felt himself on the edge of climax already. His hand reached down grabbing her wrist to stop her. The other reached behind her head and rested on the nape of neck, guiding her head back upward to allow their lips to meet once again. Elsa ended the passionate kiss abruptly to stare into his deep green eyes. The male could see the need for him within Elsa's own cool blue eyes. He wrapped his arms around the blonde and helped her down from the counter. Elsa never imagined how firm and strong Jesper would be, it only made her want his body against hers more so. The two made their way to his bedroom, unable to pull themselves apart long enough between lustful kisses to walk independently. Elsa pinned him to the closed door of the bedroom long enough to strip his layered shirts off before opening it. Jesper chuckled as he stumbled back. Elsa chewed at her lip now able to see Jesper fully before her. The moonlight escaping through the openings in his blinds created light that perfectly shadowed and highlighted him. Her mind was foggy but she was clear enough to know she want him fully. The blonde closed the gap between them and then the bed, Jesper slowly removed the last layers of her clothing. Jesper's knees buckled as they hit the edge of his bed, Elsa falling forward onto him. She straddled his lap now, on the sounds of their shaky breathing filling the room. Elsa was frozen now, her body not certain how to make the next step to what it needed most. Thankfully Jesper did and briefly laid back to reach into the drawer of his night stand. The sounds of plastic crinkling in the darkness of the room were heard and when it ceased Elsa's body was frozen no more.

She adjusted herself on top of him and slowly lowered herself over his erection. He filled every inch of her causing Elsa to moan gently. She felt Jesper's arm around her waist, holding her steady. She felt safe, like he was taking care of her at every moment since the beginning. Brief seconds of pain turned to waves of pleasure through her whole body as the movement from her hips became more drastic. Sweat began to bead on both of their bare chests from the increasing temperature between their bodies. The moans escaping both of their mouths grew louder the closer they reached their climax. Elsa's mind was gone and temporarily replaced with an endless euphoria that consumed her whole person; it was like she wasn't the same young woman who earlier that evening was nervous to even be near Jesper. Her body craved more of him and it reflect in the growing intensity of how she moved her body. Throwing her head back she felt the roller coaster ride to the top reach its peak. "I'm coming!" The young woman exclaimed loudly and several more times after as her body shook with pleasure. The pair panted and held each other tightly. Jesper could feel Elsa's sex still contracting around him. He had climaxed shortly after the blonde, though Elsa hadn't barely noticed due to her body tingling and numbing in aftermath.

When Elsa felt she could move she gently slid him out and rolled onto the bed. She could have fallen asleep right at the foot of the bed if Jesper had let her. He pulled the blankets down though and slid her up the bed, the young woman letting out a sleepy laugh. Jesper filled the empty space beside her on the bed after removing the used condom and tossing it in the nearby bin. Elsa's body gravitated toward his own and settled against his side, hand on his chest and head on his shoulder. They both drifted off to sleep within minutes, too tired, and feeling the effects of the alcohol still, to discuss the events that had transpired.

* * *

Elsa awoke abruptly, sitting up immediately and looking around. _Where am I?_ She looked around the room, holding the foreign comforter up over her bare breasts. The once beautiful moonlight that peaked through the blinds was replaced with a merciless sunlight that caused Elsa to squint and shield her eyes. The previous night began to flood back into her memories. This was Jesper's room. She had slept in Jesper's room. She had _slept_ with Jesper. The young woman rested her forehead in her palm and sighed loudly. "Oh no." Elsa slide from the bed and went to try and recover her undergarments from the kitchen but was surprised to find all her clothing draped over the night stand. Jesper must've put it there for her. Where was he? Elsa dressed herself and exited his bedroom. The apartment was quiet, he was gone. _He's probably running._ A full pot of hot coffee sat on the burner. Elsa almost let herself make a cup but she couldn't stay. The longer she remained in the apartment and the more the images of the previous night recalled to her consciousness, the more her stomach churned. She needed to talk to Athuria and Lynn immediately. Elsa took one last longing look at the apartment before stepping out and locking the door behind her.


	8. The Morning After

"You what?!" Lynn and Athuria exclaimed in unison. Elsa had texted the women almost immediately after leaving Jesper's apartment that morning. Lynn and Athuria sat at the kitchen table with Elsa while Gwen made coffee and breakfast for the four of them. Elsa buried her face in her hands and groaned. Repeating herself made the reality of the previous night even more prominent.

"I slept with, Jesper."

"He didn't take advantage of you, did he? You both were pretty drunk last night when you left." Athuria asked sternly.

"No, no! I mean we were both drunk but it wasn't necessarily not consensual. At least I don't think he didn't consent. Ugh!" Elsa groaned again. Gwen set a cup of hot coffee in front of the younger blonde, Elsa gratefully bringing it to her lips. "What the hell did I do?"

"Nothing." Gwen chimed in. "You let your urges over take your reasoning, granted it was lowered due to alcohol. So you slept with him? What's the big deal?"

"I don't do things like that. I don't just let myself fall into bed with a guy I barely know because he happens to be cute and funny and sweet. The last time I even had sex was like sophomore year in undergrad and I was _dating_ him. Then along comes Jesper and suddenly I'm acting like a complete idiot who tosses their morals out the door? And what if he's actually not all that sweet and decides now that we've had sex he doesn't want anything to do with me?"

"What did he say when you both woke up?" Gwen asked, flipping pancakes.

"I don't know. He was out running when I left. There was coffee in the kitchen that he made for me I think. I just panicked and left, though."

"So you don't even know how he feels about it either. He might be panicking like you, you never know." Athuria and Lynn both looked to Gwen a little shocked at her taking the voice of reason in this. Gwen brought plates of pancakes to the table setting them in front of each of them before taking her own seat. "All I'm saying is you don't know if it's necessarily the end of the world. Does it suck that maybe you let yourself make choices you normally wouldn't sober? Yeah. But as a third-party onlooker, I can objectively say he's into you and that he's not going to drop you after getting intimate. And don't just wait for him to text, either. Sometimes you have to be the adult and text first. I'd give him a day or two and if he hasn't reached out first and you still want to talk about it then text him."

"Who knew you were so wise, Gwen." Athuria verbally poked.

"Ha! Just because I practically threw myself at you and Lynn doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two about 'morning after woes'. I just got lucky this go 'round." Then the room went silent sans the sounds of forks scraping against ceramic plates.

"Was he good?" Lynn asked candidly breaking the silence before taking another bite of pancake. Elsa practically choked as her face went red. Gwen couldn't help but giggle for she too wanted to know but had no intentions on being the one to ask. When Elsa didn't respond, Lynn looked up from her food at the young woman. "Well?" Elsa's heart raced and the butterflies fluttered about inside of her. Was he good? That was the understatement of the century.

"Yes." Elsa managed as her mind began to flood back to the previous night. Though it was like a fuzzy dream she remembered his touches and how gentle with her he had been. The specifics were a blur as she had gone in and out of a greying consciousness but the overall feeling he had brought to her was as vivid as color. The answer made Gwen and Lynn both squeal in delight.

"Is he, you know." Gwen motioned her hands apart and raised her eyebrows.

"Oh my god are we really talking about this?" Elsa squirmed in her chair, covering her face.

"Well you remember enough to know he's somewhat good in the sack. So, I thought maybe you'd remember if he's well-endowed as well." Gwen expounded. Elsa said nothing. She merely nodded embarrassingly causing Gwen and Lynn to let out another squeal.

"He's not ridiculously big! Just, ya know, right." Elsa frantically explained.

"That's fine. If he knows how aim his hose and put out the fire it doesn't matter how big he is." Gwen laughed, pleased with herself.

"Gwen, that's crude." Athuria stepped in. "Just take it a day at a time. I'm sure it's all fine, Elsa. Jesper seems like a pretty good guy from meeting him yesterday. He also seems more mature despite being his age so I'm sure once he also thinks the events of the night through he'll talk to you. Sometimes space is the best remedy. Gather your thoughts and feelings and see what happens." Elsa nodded subtly. "Don't beat yourself up either. Drunk sex sucks sometimes but at least it wasn't one sided. We don't judge you or think any less of you. Like Gwen said, we've all had our share of 'morning after woes'."

"Thank you, Athuria. I guess I'm more upset at myself that I was so easily swayed away from my normal judgement by just being around him; alcohol or not."

"That's what happens when you like someone, Elsa. You can't just ignore your feelings because you think that it's going to cause you to abandon Anna." Elsa's face fell with fear suddenly. Anna. How was she going to tell Anna she had slept with Jesper? Should she even tell her? What if Jesper told her first? Another round of panic filled her entire body the more she thought about it.

"Anna! What am I going to tell, Anna?" Elsa questioned in desperation.

"Does Anna have to know?" Gwen answered with a question.

"What?" Elsa asked in disbelief that Gwen would even consider keeping her endeavors a secret from Anna even an option. "I can't just not tell her. She's my sister—my best friend. We tell each other everything. Jesper is her roommate and I slept with him. She'll be devastated. She might even be livid."

"Why would she be livid?" Gwen asked calmly still despite the franticness in Elsa's voice returning.

"I don't know! Just… because. Because I didn't tell her I slept with someone. Because I didn't tell her I slept with Jesper. _Because_ I slept with Jesper."

"I don't think I understand. Jesper is just Anna's roommate, right?" Elsa nodded. Gwen nodded back and continued. "So if you tell her right away then I don't think she has any backing to be angry with you. She's not sleeping with him, they're just friends. She also has a boyfriend, correct? I think you're letting your mind wander further down the rabbit hole than it needs to. You're both adults."

"Gwen, as much as I hate stroking her ego, is right." Athuria added. The curly haired female flipped her hair loftily over her shoulder and smirked causing Athuria to roll her eyes. "I think a lot of this anxiety surrounding Anna's reaction is based on you not wanting to let her down, not necessarily with you and Jesper. I feel like you're afraid if you start to let yourself be preoccupied with someone other than Anna then you two won't be close anymore and it'll be like when you were younger. And now that you've been physically intimate with someone it makes it harder to ignore your feelings. But the two of you have reconciled and you've given yourself to her long enough for her to know you're not leaving again. She'd want you to find someone." Elsa laid her head on the table, hidden by her arms wrapped around it.

"You're right." Elsa finally mumbled in defeat. The blonde looked up and furrowed her brow. "I hate that you're a Psych professor sometimes." Athuria chuckled.

"At least I give you advice for free." Elsa let out a weak chuckle in response to Athuria's comment. Despite feeling emotionally drained Elsa did feel better having talked through her conflicting emotions with the three women. The next few days would be agony to wait but she'd grit through it just to give Jesper the space he needed.

* * *

"You what?!" Kristoff bellowed. Jesper shushed him harshly, looking around the apartment instinctively. Kristoff also realized how loud he had been and looked to his bedroom door. Thankfully Anna didn't hear him over the sounds of her shower. The pair had gotten back to the apartment early that Sunday evening. When Anna announced that she was going to shower, the drive back from her parent's house making her feel grimy, Jesper took the opportunity to pull Kristoff to the side and confess his escapades.

"I sort of slept with Elsa."

"Sort of slept with?" Kristoff repeated skeptically.

"Okay, okay. We slept together. After that party we went to—"

"Wait you guys went to a party together?" Kristoff interrupted.

"Yes. She invited me to her friends' party Friday night and we got a little drunk and one thing led to another and I woke up with her in my bed; naked."

"What did you do?"

"I fucking freaked dude. I made coffee and went for a run, I didn't know what to do. When I got back she was gone and I haven't heard anything from her since." Jesper whispered desperately.

"Have you texted her?"

"No. I'm not sure if I should, ya know? Should I give her space? Should I tell her I'm sorry? Like, I've never felt more like an ass hole." Jesper ran both hands through his hair, sighing heavily.

"Why do you feel like an ass hole? Did you force her?"

"What?! No way. I mean we were both pretty drunk but I was still aware enough to make sure she was also aware, I think. Fuck, what if she didn't want to and couldn't say no? Dude, what am I going to do?" Jesper could feel his pulse increasing as his anxiety spiked. Could he have just completely ruined any chance he had at getting closer to Elsa? The thought made his stomach sink.

"Why are you freaking out so much? You had a one night stand with Elsa, so what?" Jesper was stunned at his friend's complete obliviousness to the situation.

"Kristoff, I didn't _mean_ to have a one night stand with her. I don't want it to be a one night stand." Kristoff stared blankly, clearly still not understanding. "I like Elsa, Kristoff. I don't want our midnight encounters to be drunken one night stands." Kristoff's eye widened.

"Ooooooh." The blonde male finally understood. "What are you going to tell Anna, then?"

"I don't even want to think about that. How would I even start? So, Anna, I fucked Elsa oh and by the way we were drunk. Oh! And I also like her and want to keep fucking her."

"Probably not like that." Kristoff chuckled.

"Fuck off. This is serious." Jesper spat annoyingly.

"Honestly, dude, I don't know. Anna might take it well. I don't see why she wouldn't. Maybe just don't tell her?" Jesper scoffed.

"You know better than I do that that wouldn't go over well." Kristoff shrugged causing Jesper to groan. The two sat in silence. When the sounds of Kristoff's bedroom door opening echoed through the apartment they sat up straight and shot their eyes to the emerging Anna. She stretched loudly and grinned. Anna's hair was still damp sticking to her shoulders and back.

"I feel _so_ much better." She crossed the living room and joined the two males at the kitchen table. "What are we talking about, boys?" She giggled and looked between the two but it fell upon feeling the tension still lingering in the air. "Yikes." Anna chuckled nervously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kristoff quickly answered. Anna's right eyebrow raised and turned her attention to Jesper. He smiled forcefully and nodded his head in his best attempt to affirm Kristoff's answer. Anna's eyes squinted a bit and she let out a short hum.

"I guess." She finally said, though it didn't sound convinced. "How was your weekend, Jesper?"

"Boring. I edited my film and watched some movies. How was visiting your parents?" Jesper had rehearsed this answer several times before Anna and Kristoff's return. All he had to do was keep the topic as far from himself or Elsa and he'd be able to at least get through today without talking about his intimate night with the blonde woman.

"Relaxing. I missed them more than I thought. The home cooked meals didn't hurt either."

"I'll second that." Kristoff said making Anna laugh. The sounds of Anna's laughter relieved Jesper. At least if she was laughing whatever skepticism she had toward the two males would revert to the back of her mind.

"Do you ever take Anna to visit home, Kristoff?" Jesper inquired.

"Occasionally we go. They live pretty far and they can be a bit much." The blonde male rubbed the back of his head. Anna gently hit his arm.

"Nonsense. They're wonderful. So what if they practically tried to marry us the first time I met them. They mean well, though." Jesper's eye went wide with disbelief. Kristoff cringed in embarrassment.

"They what?!" Jesper's disbelief made Anna giggle.

"Yeah. I guess I was the first girl Kristoff ever brought and they practically married us on the spot. He's got a very large, endearing family who all love him very much." Jesper shook his head still a little in shock.

"That's pretty crazy. I guess everyone's family is different." Anna nodded.

"Yeah. Kristoff's whole family lives in one house, like all of his aunts and uncles and young cousins; his grandparents too. There is never a dull moment there. It's just Elsa and I with my parents, but Rapunzel and my aunt and uncle don't live that far away so we get to see them pretty often. I couldn't imagine being an only child, it'd drive me up a wall." Anna made circles around her ears with her index fingers. "I was already talking to paintings and stuff when I was younger so I didn't need another reason."

"What's your family like?" Kristoff questioned to Jesper. The smile that was on the brunette's face fell to a more somber one.

"I don't really know. I don't see them." Anna sharply elbowed Kristoff in the ribs. He let out short wail of pain, rubbing the spot aggressively.

"It's alright, Anna. He didn't know. I didn't tell him." Jesper assured the red head.

"Tell me what?"

"I was taken from my parents when I was five and I've been in foster homes until recently. So I never visit anyone or anywhere."

"Shit dude, I'm sorry." Kristoff apologized earnestly. Jesper merely shrugged and chuckled.

"Nothing to be sorry for. It's in the past. Everybody's family is different, right?" Jesper repeated.

"Well you can come meet my parents next time I go home. I'll leave Kristoff here and _really_ throw them off. Or maybe Elsa will come next time and we can have a huge party!" Anna laughed, very pleased with herself at the idea. "My mom would absolutely love you, Jesper." The brunette couldn't even let the anxiety of the mere thought of visiting the sisters' parents get to him the way Anna spoke with such excitement about the event.

"They'd probably like him better than me." Kristoff laughed.

"Nonsense, they love you now. You just took some getting used to."

"What do you mean?" Jesper inquired curiously.

"My family is just kind of well off. So, they are just used to more refined behavior and mannerisms. But they know you're a good guy now so when they got used to that part it wasn't hard to love you. Besides you're better than the last guy I brought home. Yeesh. Talk about awkward." She chuckled. "And Elsa's never even brought a guy home."

"Why not?" Jesper pushed.

"Oh. Uhm. Well I've only ever known her to have dated one guy but she never brought him home and when we were younger she was either at home in her room or the library. I guess she just doesn't talk to many guys." Anna shrugged. "But I can only imagine what father would do if she did. He's very protective of, Elsa. Mother is too but not like him."

"Why?" Jesper asked on the edge of his seat. Anna chuckled nervously.

"W-wow, Jesper, you seem pretty interested in Elsa." The red head pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Uh-" Jesper stammered and sat back in his chair. "I mean. I just-" The brunette stroked his chin unable to think of an excuse for his bombardment of questions. "I guess… I guess I just don't know much about Elsa." Anna's head tilted to the side in confusion. "O-Or you, Anna." Jesper recovered. "Or Kristoff. I guess I haven't been the best friend in the world."

"Oh, Jesper, stop. You're a great friend." Anna reached across the table and pulled his hands from over his mouth and held them with a gentle smile. "What do you wanna know?"

"Wait, what? You mean right now?" Anna giggled and nodded.

"No time like the present, right?"

"I guess..." Jesper trailed off. Anna and Jesper's conversation came to a halt when Kristoff stood suddenly. The large man stretched himself out, yawning loudly.

"I'm going to shower and let you two have at that." Anna scrunched her nose up and rolled her eyes at her boyfriend.

"Fine then. Jesper and I will bond without you." Kristoff chuckled and ruffled Anna's damp hair causing her to instinctively reach up and stop him, squeaking lightly. Anna titled her head back and met her lips to the blonde's before he wandered off into the bedroom.

"He really is averse to talking isn't he?" Anna chuckled at Jesper's question and shrugged gently.

"It just takes a little more work for him. He's content with just accepting people for who they are with no context. Not that anything about that person's past would affect him either way, he just doesn't feel the need to push it." Jesper nodded. "I guess because in his childhood his family strongly felt that way and he was never faced with any judgement or hardships that he reflects that onto other people as well, ya know? Where as with you and me, and even Elsa. We've had things in our pasts that follow us and are afraid of the judgement that might come with it so we need to talk to people close to us."

"You? Afraid?" The brunette half scoffed. Anna folded her arms and smiled somberly.

"Everyone is afraid, Jesper. Growing up Elsa ignored me for years after our parents got into an accident. Even after they recovered she kept her distance from me. I feel like she blamed me and harbored that subconsciously until she left for college. But imagine being so young and having your best friend and only sister just stop talking to you. It made me naïvely optimistic. I wanted to over compensate for her leaving me and so I over loved and over accepted people into my life, needing to fill that hole. When I got hurt I pretended like it didn't and moved on. I thought I'd grown out of it in college, especially when Elsa and I started to become close again. So, when I met Hans at a party and he gave me this sob speech about his family and being the youngest of like twelve brothers I felt connected to him; he knew what it felt like to be alone. Hans was so sweet and kind and I thought we were best friends. Looking back on it now the signs of him being inappropriate with me when Kristoff wasn't around were there but at the time I just thought he was being friendly. But then he took advantage of me. Kristoff was out of town with his family and Hans and I threw a party. I got pretty drunk and he… well yeah."

"Anna." Jesper muttered lowly. The red head huffed and forced a smiled, chuckling.

"I'm fine now. Thinking about it sometimes is hard but once I told Kristoff and Elsa it was easier to handle. He's gone and that's all that matters now. The point is everyone is scared. Things in life scare us but it's about how we handle those fears that shape us. If I had let myself doubt you because of Hans we wouldn't be friends. If I had been afraid Elsa would shut me out again we wouldn't be so close any more. And if you're afraid that whatever it is about your family is going to affect anyone's perspective of you, you're going to continue to stay shut in your own box."

"How are you so sure about all of this?" Jesper asked gently.

"A lot of family therapy, let me tell you." Anna forcefully laughed. "That and Elsa was the same way. She shut me out because she feared a lot of things. She didn't talk about them and they manifested and when she was old enough to pick apart her own fears she thought it was too late to make up. It wasn't."

"I get that feeling." Jesper half heartily chuckled.

"You and Elsa should talk then. I'm sure you've got a lot more in common. Though, I enjoy these talks with you. I hope I'm not overbearing or too much." This made Jesper let out a real laugh as he shook his head.

"No. It's refreshing. When all you hear is shouting or fighting in a house of eight other kids and it's every man for himself, having someone ask you about your day isn't so bad." Anna couldn't help up tear up and smile lovingly at the male.

"Well thankfully we have a few more years of it so hopefully you still feel the same way then." The pair laughed and Anna wiped the corners of her eyes. "Whenever you want to know more about me feel free to ask, I'll even make Kristoff answer too. Just fire away the questions like a six-shootin' cowboy. But if you ask then I can ask too, got it? I won't go asking anything too personal if you don't want but I'd like to know your favorite color or something."

"Green. Like an emerald or a forest green." Jesper responded.

"Huh? Weird. I'd have pegged you as a blue kind of dude." Blue? Elsa. His mind associated the color with her and everything that he'd pushed down about the woman sprung to the top once again. His heart fluttered and his mind wandered back to the other night.

"I guess you're not entirely wrong there."


	9. Can We Talk?

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I apology for the unexpected hiatus. My day job became very hectic and then in the midst of that my laptop was out of commission. Good news is I'm back up and running and should be updating regularly once again. I hope you continue to enjoy this story as it progresses. Thank you all!

* * *

Monday afternoon Elsa sat at her drafting table, drumming her fingers on top of it. Still no word from Jesper. It was driving her insane to wait for him to text her. She grabbed the device that sat silent on the table and for the hundredth time, read through their previous and only conversation in hopes a message would have come through without her noticing. _This is ridiculous._ Elsa started to type something out and upon getting half way through it she groaned and deleted the message. _Tomorrow. I'll give him until the morning._

 ** _"Can we talk?"_**

Jesper had been in class when Elsa texted him. He used it as an excuse to wait to reply to her, partially because he wasn't sure what to say. Yes he wanted to talk about the other night but he was rightfully anxious about doing so. When the class let out Jesper grabbed his backpack and began to make his way across campus to his job in the media stacks. The male's chest tightened as his thumbs tapped over the letters forming his reply.

 ** _"Yeah, sure."_**

His phone buzzed only a few minutes after.

 ** _"Not over texting. Maybe tomorrow at Wednesday dinner?"_**

Jesper was relieved she'd rather talk in person. Serious conversations over text message were the bane of his existence. He was more of a body language and physical cue kind of guy when it came to conversation.

 ** _"Yeah, totally. I'll be late again because of work but we can talk after."_**

Another few minutes passed.

 ** _"Okay. Thank you. See you tomorrow."_**

Jesper dropped his phone deep into his pocket and let out an audible sigh. He had to keep hope that everything would be fine and that their talk wouldn't end in Elsa telling him to never see or talk to her again.

Elsa sat across from Kristoff and Anna only half tuned in to their debate about the best bars in the world. She was anxiously awaiting Jesper's arrival, going over line after line of conversation so that when they talked she said all she wanted to say. When the front door finally did swing open the blonde's heart skipped a beat. Elsa smiled faintly as Jesper finished greeting his roommates and then looked to her returning the faint smile. She hoped he could see in her eyes that she wasn't upset with him. She wished she could nonverbally communicate to him that she didn't want them to stop talking because of Saturday night. Even if she couldn't admit it to herself most of the time, Elsa didn't necessarily want them to stop sleeping together either. She watched as he disappeared into his room to change out of his uniform. Too bad she couldn't just follow him to his room and talk without making it blaringly obvious to Anna and Kristoff that something happened between them. No, instead she'd wait for the right moment after dinner when her sister and Kristoff were distracted. When Jesper took the empty chair beside her the young woman tried harder to act casual. Her cool blue eyes rested on the side of Jesper's face as he engaged his roommates. Elsa knew that she probably was acting normal and most of her anxiety about it was manifested in her head but it Jesper was making it look so effortless.

"Elsa?" Anna's voice snapped the blonde woman from her thoughts. What had she missed? How much time had passed?

"Sorry. What?" Elsa nervously grinned.

"You and Jesper are on clean up duty tonight since Kristoff and I did it last week. Fair?"

"Oh. Yes. Of course." Elsa stood and met eyes with Jesper who was gently smiling to her. Elsa couldn't help but return his smile as he stood as well. The pair gathered the dirty dishes and took them to the kitchen, Anna and Kristoff heading off to the living room to watch TV. Jesper pushed his sleeves up before scraping the remnants of food off a plate and rinsing it. Elsa stood beside him scooping the remainder of their meal into small Tupperware containers. They were quiet for a few minutes, focused intently on their tasks because neither one of them wanted to be the one to start talking.

"So-" "I-" They began at the same time causing the two to chuckle.

"You start." Elsa insisted. Jesper nodded softly and chewed his lip for another second while he decided where to begin.

"I'm sorry I didn't text or call you or whatever. I wasn't avoiding you, I promise. I guess I was trying to give you space? I wasn't really sure what to do."

"Don't worry. I wasn't upset that I didn't hear from you, just a little anxious. I was just as confused as to what to do. I knew we needed to talk though." Jesper nodded in agreement. "I didn't take advantage of you, did I?"

"What?!" Elsa shushed him as he exclaimed a little louder than she'd like considering Anna and Kristoff were in the living room. Even with the TV on Elsa didn't want attention drawn to them. "Sorry." Jesper said quieter. "What I meant to say was, no. I thought I might have taken advantage of you."

"Jesper, I didn't really give you an option before I was pulling your pants down. If anyone took advantage of anyone it was me."

"Yeah but I didn't say no."

"We were both drunk so I don't think we could have even if we wanted to."

"Maybe so." They went silent again. The conversation wasn't going like Elsa had imagined. She was still just as confused about how she felt as before. She did get peace of mind that she hadn't taken advantage of the male.

"I like you, Elsa." The abruptness of Jesper's statement cause Elsa to drop the pan she was washing into the sink. Her face washed over with a bright red; eyes widened.

"W-what?" She could see the color in his cheeks as well as he bore a hole into the bowl he was holding.

"I'd like to keep seeing you. Not like just sex or that at all if you don't want. I want to take you out on a date is what I mean." When Elsa didn't respond Jesper turned to look at her. She was more beautiful to him than he remembered. The red tint across her pale skin and freckles drove him even more wild than the first time they met. "You don't have to. I know it was just sex but-"

"It wasn't just sex." Elsa interrupted. "Please, don't think that. I do—I want to go out with you, I promise. I just haven't dated in a few years." She half-heartedly chuckled. "And I don't know if I'm ready. Not because I don't want to date you but I just am wrapped up in my own guilt about Anna that I'm afraid if I date I won't be there for her when she needs me. I like you too, though."

"Well I wouldn't ever make you chose Anna over me. She's been such a great friend. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have that guilt linger with me but I do understand why you'd be hesitant. I think, though, Anna wouldn't want you to not do what you wanted. She kind of told me a little more about what happened when you two were kids and from how she talked about you I think she's forgiven you." Elsa smiled and shook her head.

"Athuria said the same thing. I can see why she likes you." The young woman exhaled. "Even still, I'm not ready to tell Anna just yet, if that's okay?" Jesper nodded.

"Of course and don't worry I didn't tell her about the other night. It wasn't my place and she's your sister so I figured if anyone was going to tell her it should be you." Elsa smirked playfully and bumped her shoulder against him.

"You just didn't want to tell Anna that you violated her older sister." Jesper's face turned bright red, speechless. Elsa brought her hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. "I didn't break you, did I?" The blonde teased dropping her hand to her side.

"N-no. I just wasn't expecting that." Elsa smirked more, raising her eyebrow at him. "But yes, also what you said." He admitted. They washed the last pan and set it on the drying rack with the other ones. Elsa felt more relieved now. However, the anticipation from waiting to talk to Jesper had subdued her physical attractions toward him. Now that it had vanished she was reminded of how his body felt against her own and how much she craved it still. Jesper must've felt the same way because he closed the space between them, their sides touching gently as he leaned against the counter beside her. She bumped into him playfully again, a grin crossing Jesper's face in reaction. The two stood enjoying the silence for once since the night began but Elsa was the one to break it, turning to lean against the counter as well.

"So you know about my childhood story fully now, can I ask about yours?" Elsa felt him tense against her. Maybe she shouldn't have asked. The blonde went to retract her question but Jesper was quicker to respond.

"I was born into a world of prostitution and drugs. Both my parents were druggies so it's amazing I didn't come out all fucked up." Jesper kept his eyes forward, talking lowly. Elsa could hear him trying to keep his voice steady. "My dad beat me from the time I was two and started talking until I was taken away from them. My mom was a train for creepy dude after creepy dude so that my dad didn't beat her too. They weren't even married; my mom was just his whore. All he cared about was making money, whether it was from drugs or selling my mom out. He even let some old guy touch me for money. It was my second week of kindergarten, I think, and I showed up to school with a bruise on my face and social services got called. I was put in foster care but my social worker didn't have any interest in helping the kid of a whore and a drug dealer. To her I was just going to wind up in the system like every other kid from the shit side of town." Jesper paused to breathe and calm himself. He felt a rage rise in his chest that he hadn't prepared himself for. "I'm glad Anna is going to be a social worker. She's going to make everyone who's case she has very happy." Elsa bit her lip and merely nodded, unsure of what to say. Jesper chuckled and took another slow breath before continuing. "So if I wasn't in a foster house I was in a boy's home, which was worse. Thankfully I discovered running because I used it to be out all the time so I didn't end up in a fight with another kid." The silence that lingered when Jesper was finished was heavy. Jesper looked to Elsa for the first time since he began talking, a forced smile upon his lips. Elsa's heart ached for him but she couldn't find the right words to say. Before she could stop herself, the young woman let her body take control once again. Elsa grabbed his shirt and pulled him down below the countertops, out of site, and kissed him. Jesper was surprised at first but just like in the backseat of their Über but he melted into it quickly.

"I don't have words to express exactly what I'm feeling right now but just know that I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you felt you could tell me. I'm sorry your parents are horrible people." Elsa said after parting their lips. Jesper reached up and pushed a stray hair behind Elsa's ear, laying his hand on her cheek.

"Athuria told me to tell you. I would have eventually but she emphasized the importance of fully disclosing my past to you if you ever decided you wanted to know."

Elsa giggled. "I guess Athuria has been working both sides of the equation." Jesper nodded in agreement. "Like I said it's been a long time since I've dated anyone and my last boyfriend and I ended kind of badly. I used it as an excuse to make up lost time with Anna instead. Athuria and Lynn have been pushing me lately to at least try and date again. When's the last date you went on?" The color returned to Jesper's cheeks as he suddenly avoided Elsa's eyes. "What?" She pressed.

"I may or may not have ever been on a date before." Jesper mumbled shyly.

"Wait, seriously?" Elsa said in disbelief. Jesper nodded and the young woman blinked. "Wait so were you a virgin?" Jesper scoffed and shook his head.

"Definitely not." Her eyes widened a little. "But don't worry." Jesper quickly recovered. "The last time I had had sex before the other night was high school and I got tested right after; I'm clean. Running wasn't the only excuse I used to stay out of my foster homes. But when I came to college I wanted to be different. I guess I got caught up in focusing on school that I never got around to trying to date. Plus, eventually I'd have to tell them about my fucked-up childhood so that didn't make it appealing."

"I feel so special, Jesper." Elsa teased causing him to roll his eyes. "I'm mostly serious." She giggled. "It'll be a refresher for the both of us then."

"A very rusty one." He chuckled at himself causing Elsa to, in turn, roll her eyes back at him. "Where should we go?" Jesper asked shortly after Elsa had finished showing her faux irritation toward the male.

"I'm not sure. Not a movie, that's honestly the most over used first date." Jesper nodded in agreement.

"Agreed. I love going to the movies, obviously, but I'd rather it be for the enjoyment of watching a movie rather than for a 'date' date. Not dinner either." Elsa shook her head vigorously side to side.

"Yeah, no. That's always awkward I feel. A lot of small talk and prolonged eye contact."

"You mean you don't want to stare into my eyes awkwardly for an hour?" This made Elsa giggle, bringing her hand to her mouth.

"I always end up looking everywhere but the person I'm with. It's just very forced." Jesper smiled gently and nodded. The two sat on the tiled floor of the kitchen in silence for a few minutes pondering more ideas until Jesper snapped his fingers.

"I got it. I know what to do.

"What?" Elsa questioned eagerly. Jesper smirked faintly and shook his head.

"No, no. It's a surprise. You'll love it but it'll be more fun to wait and see. Saturday around lunch time sounds good?"

"I guess I don't have a choice but to say yes." The blonde chuckled. "Are you really not going to tell me?" Jesper stood and helped Elsa to her feet. The blonde straightened the creases in her clothing out still looking to Jesper for his answer.

"I'm really not going to tell you. Just trust me when I say you'll have fun. It won't be awkward or forced or any of that." Elsa let out a defeated sigh.

"For someone who's never been on a date you're pretty confident in yourself." To that Jesper shrugged and laced his fingers together with his hands resting on the back of his neck. His shirt lifted and exposed the small bit of stomach between the hem of his shirt and waist of his shorts. Elsa bit her lip gently as she let her eyes wander down to the bare skin. Why was that so hot? The blonde blew out a sharp breath of air and shot her eyes up to Jesper's own, regaining her composure. "Then I guess I'll meet you here?"

"No. I'll pick you up. If you come here and we leave together don't you think that might send off red flags to Anna? Especially if she can't come?" Elsa looked at the back of Anna's head as she watched TV, sitting practically in Kristoff's lap. She already hated feeling like she had to sneak around but Jesper was right. As much as she didn't want to go behind her sister's back she also wasn't ready to reveal to Anna what was transpiring.

"Okay. I'll text you my address then."

"Sounds excellent." Elsa pulled her phone from her pocket and ran her thumbs over the keys. Shortly after finishing Jesper's own phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked the screen and saw Elsa's name at the top with the message below containing her information. "Got it." Jesper confirmed. "It's a date then." Elsa couldn't help but smile at his statement.

"Yeah, it's a date."


	10. I Like The Movie Better

"So he truly hasn't told you anything about where you're going yet?" Lynn questioned. It was the Friday night before Elsa and Jesper's date. Lynn and Athuria had invited Elsa over for dinner but it was all an excuse to get the blonde to fill them, mostly Lynn, in on the details of her date. Athuria was in the kitchen cooking while the two younger women sat talking. Elsa shook her head and took a sip of a fruity smelling alcoholic beverage.

"No. In fact he's acting like nothing even happened, like he never even asked me out."

"Maybe that's his way of shaking off the first date jitters?" Lynn offered.

"What? Acting nonchalant and relaxed. Hah, I wish it were that easy." Elsa took another sip of her drink.

"Have you been texting at least?"

"Yeah a bit. How does a couple of days feel like an eternity?" Elsa dejectedly put her head down causing Lynn to giggle gently and look toward Athuria. The older woman covered the large skillet she was cooking from and turned the knob for the stove eye down to a simmer before walking to the pair.

"It's because you're anxious, Elsa. You seem to be having an internal power struggle and it's making the time pass slowly." Athuria answered gently, placing her hand on the blonde's back. Elsa merely sighed. "You're overthinking it, and I can understand why, but everything is fine. You're going to have a great time." Athuria took the empty seat adjacent to Elsa.

"But what about Ann-"

"What about her?" Athuria interrupted. "Don't let whatever hang ups you have with how she might react hold you back from enjoying yourself. You've got too many 'what ifs' rolling around in your brain." A silence fell over the trio as Elsa let Athuria's words sink in. The younger blonde let out a soft sigh, her eyes closing, before finally nodding in agreement. "Good." Athuria's lips turned upward with pride. She stood once again and crossed the room back into the kitchen. Elsa attention turned back to the grinning Lynn, it causing the blonde to burst into laughter. It was Lynn who calmed down from their sudden fit of laughter first.

"So are you gunna, ya know, do it again?" Lynn inquired. Elsa's face flushed all over and her eyes quickly shot down to the table top.

 _ **Good morning! Hope you're ready for some fun. Make sure to wear something comfy and socks. That's very important. Shorts a t-shirt are probably good. See you in a few hours.**_

Elsa looked at the message Jesper had sent her that morning and then at herself in the full-length mirror. She wore her pair of her white and blue hexagon patterned running shorts, white, V-neck shirt and blue sports bra. It was what she usually ran in so she knew it was comfortable but was it date appropriate? She hadn't ever been on a date where she didn't have to dress up so this was uncharted territory. Did she have to put makeup on? Probably not if they were going to do something active. The blonde pulled the hair tie from around her wrist to fix her hair into a ponytail just as a knock to her door echoed through the studio apartment. Elsa walked to the front door and peered into the peep hole at Jesper. His hands were deep in his short's pockets as he looked off to the side trying to act casual. She bit her bottom lip gently as she smiled from the corner of her mouth and opened the door for him.

Jesper's head turned forward upon hearing the door move to open. When his eyes fell on Elsa he couldn't help but grin. "Good afternoon, Elsa."

Elsa felt herself uncontrollably giggle. "Hello, Jesper. Come in." She moved aside for him before shutting the door behind them.

The male stood at the entrance of her apartment and looked around at Elsa's living space. "I didn't know you lived alone." Elsa nodded and walked past him to her closet once again. Jesper watched as she grabbed her tennis shoes and a pair of socks before sitting on her couch to put them on.

"Yeah. Mother and father thought it was best if I lived alone so I could concentrate on school. I told them, though, if that was the case then I got to pick the apartment." She chuckled thinking about the past exchange.

"So that's why I'm in such a nice part of town." Jesper idly stepped forward a few feet, eyes wandering to every odd and end dotted about the studio apartment. His comment made Elsa chuckle as she stood and pushed her bangs behind her ear.

"The perks of wealthy parents, I guess. You ready?"

"Waitin' on you." Jesper grinned. Elsa shoved him playfully as they turned to leave.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" Elsa asked after having climbed into the passenger seat and closing the door. Elsa took note that Jesper's car looked and smelled as if it had recently been cleaned. Jesper cranked the old jeep, it humming louder than Elsa's car but not loud enough for it to be impossible to talk over. It was charming in its own way.

"Nope. You'll see when we get there. No worries, it'll be fun." Jesper reassured her as he backed out of the parking spot and began the drive to their mystery destination.

"You clearly don't know me then, Jesper." Elsa chuckled, bouncing up and down gently with the car. "I live my life in a state of worry and anxiety."

"That's a tough life to lead but I understand. It's not something that easy to ignore or just fix. I'm pretty good with my anxiety; it comes and goes. Running helps."

"Yeah that's one of the reason's I picked it up. You're a very easy going guy, you know that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well you talk about things in a very casual way but not so much that it seems unimportant. Like with Lynn, Athuria and Gwen at the party and just now. It's like everything in life just is, if that makes sense." Jesper chuckled and nodded.

"I get what you're saying but that's because life is 'just is'. I figured out a long time ago that I wanted to be the person I had needed growing up. I needed someone to tell me everything I was going through was normal and that there are people who care or don't care depending on what I needed in the moment. Things in life happen but it doesn't change the person, good or bad. I try and take everything in stride and be as open minded as I can be for everyone I encounter. You should always be learning I feel." There was silence for a few minutes causing Jesper to look over at Elsa who was staring back at him. A light blush washed over his cheeks. "W-what?"

"Nothing. You just honestly can't be a real person." This made the male chuckle.

"And why's that?"

"I don't know. I guess I just haven't met a guy who's felt that way about the world so openly. But I also haven't talked to many guys."

"Then maybe you missed them."

"Maybe. But enough creepy guys have deterred me from trying."

"Well then I appreciate you letting me take you on a date." Elsa blushed and the car was silent again.

"What kind of music do you like?" Jesper asked plugging his phone into the aux adapter coming from the cassette player in his stereo. Before Elsa even answered he was handing his phone to her, unlocking it as she grabbed it. "I've got a lot of different stuff but you can also search for anything you don't see."

Elsa scrolled through his playlist of seemingly endless random songs and bands she'd never heard of.

"Do you purposefully find obscure musicians or are you against anything sensationalized by the radio?" The blonde asked as she continued to scroll. Jesper laughed and took his phone back from her.

"No. Sometimes I'll put on a radio station based on a song or band I like and then when new music I like comes up I add it. I end up with just one or two songs from a lot of bands but I never really listen to anything else from that band. I couldn't tell you the song or musician for most of these if they were to play. I'm no music purist." Music began to come through the speakers of the jeep and Jesper handed the phone back to Elsa.

Elsa chuckled lightly as she took the phone back "I see." Bleak December by Set it Off scrolled across the screen under a photo of the album cover. The song reminded Elsa of the alternate bands Anna would blast from her room when they were in middle and high school. Jesper looked over to see Elsa's head bobbing in time with the music causing him to smirk halfway.

"It's good yeah?"

"It's not the worst thing I've heard. Anna listened to this kind of stuff when we were kids but I haven't heard anything like it since we grew up."

Jesper gasped and held his chest over top of his heart. "Is that a burn, Elsa?"

The blonde giggled, moving her hand over her mouth. "Not intentionally. I just didn't expect it."

"And what were you expecting?"

"I dunno. What're college guys into these days? The Avett Brothers? 21 Pilots? Drake? I only know from the few parties I ever go to." The two laughed.

"Don't get me wrong I enjoy those as well but my music taste isn't limited to one genre or even one era. I've got some stuff from the 70's in there; some classical. Hell, I've got music from other countries. If it's good, it's good."

"I guess I just am very picky about music. If it's too loud or aggressive I'm usually averse to it. Country is also a no go. Generally if it's mellow I'll probably like it."

Jesper nodded. "Good to know. So I shouldn't blast The Devil Wears Prada when you're in the car?"

Elsa titled her head to the side, her slender blonde eyebrow rising in confusion. "The movie?"

This made Jesper laugh again and shake his head. He took the phone from her once more and within a few swipes of his thumb played a new song. The car was immediately filled with sounds of loud, incoherent screaming and heavy drums and guitar. Elsa covered her ears and shook her head.

"No no no no." She repeated until Jesper stopped the noise. Elsa's hands lowered from the sides of her head. She exhaled loudly and blinked a few times to recompose herself. "The movie is better."

"I would have to agree with you on that." As he spoke Jesper pulled into the parking lot of a large building. Elsa had been so distracted by the screaming surrounding her that she hadn't noticed them approach their destination. Jesper cranked the car off once he had found an empty parking spot and the pair climbed out. When they were in better view of the warehouse-like building Elsa was able to read the colorful pylon affixed to the front.

"A trampoline park?" She spoke out loud in both confusion and disbelief. The blonde felt Jesper's arm warp around her shoulders, now walking in unison.

"Yeah! I came here a few months ago and it was ridiculous. There's a huge foam pit and like 100 trampolines of every size. They've also got food and alcohol."

Elsa smirked and nudged his ribs causing him to yelp and jump away. "You can't legally drink yet."

In response Jesper winked and gave her a thumb up. "Don't you worry about that. I have ways. I know people."

The blonde playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You're going to get some poor employee in trouble."

"Not if they're in charge."

Elsa didn't have time to respond. Jesper was holding the front door open for her, grinning from ear to ear. Once she was past the entrance Jesper let the door swing closed behind them. Even though they were standing in some kind of air lock between the outside and the park the sounds of music and children screaming leaked through the glass walls. The brunette led them to the front desk where a bald gentleman in his late thirties stood wearing a bright, lime green polo. Immediately a grin broke over his face when he recognized the younger male.

"Jesper, dude. How you been?"

"Pretty good, Lew. School and work and more work."

"You work too hard for a kid. Glad to see you enjoying yourself though. Who's your lady friend?" The man nodded his head in Elsa's direction causing her unknowingly blush. She wasn't prepared to be roped into Jesper's reunion.

"Lew this is Elsa. Elsa this is Lew. He owns the park but I know him from the movie store. He comes in, what, two or three times a week?"

"Sometimes more if I feel like having a movie marathon. It's nice to meet you, Elsa. Is this your first time here?" When she nodded he reached below the top of the counter and pulled out a clipboard with papers clasped to it. "Excellent. Then read over and sign this waiver form for me. You're 21, right?" She nodded again and went to grab her ID from the slim wallet she had tucked into her sports bra. Lew waved her off quickly. "You're good, don't worry. Hold out your wrist, please." Elsa extended her left wrist while she filled out the information on the waiver. Elsa felt Lew tape a neon green bracelet around her slender wrist causing her to look up from the papers. Jesper received the same bracelet. "All done?" Lew asked after finishing with Jesper and making his way back in front of Elsa from behind the counter.

"Oh, yes." Elsa answered quickly, having gotten lost in her thoughts.

"Fantastic." Lew took back his clipboard and detached Elsa's page from the stack. "You two are good to go then. Have a good time." The bald man gave them a slight wave.

"Thanks, Lew." Jesper responded, waving back, before leading Elsa through the glass door separating the reception room from the trampoline park.


End file.
